The wrong Hermione
by AngelAmore
Summary: Second Part to Another Hermione. She isn't the Hermione that helped defeat Voldemort. Nor is she Hermione that married Ronald Weasley. She's the woman that lost everyone and now left behind the child that was everything to her.
1. A second to late

**Hello everyone.**

 **This story was on my tablet for quiet some time now and I finally have an idea where I'm heading.**

 **The lovely and super fast EvaFanFic has done an awesome job to beta this story. Any remaining mistakes are solely my own.**

 **I'm not the fastest to update, with family and work on my plate but I'm positive with all the nice comments and likes you always send my way I'll keep doing my best and keep updating once in a while.**

 **If you haven't read Another Hermione yet, please do. It's the Prequel to this one.**

 **Warning: This story contains Trauma, PTSD, Mobbing and Drama. If you want a happy story search elsewhere please!**

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 **Chapter 1 - A second to late**

She noticed her mistake just a second too late.

Scorpius and Hermione appeared just where they had left earlier, next to the Great Lake. Scorpius looked around and sighed in relief, happy to see that everything was back to normal and that Albus was right there, sitting on the grass next to a confused Hermione.

"You are back" Scorpius yelled and fell into his mates arms. Maybe it was effeminate but he didn't care, he had his best friend back and he was still alive.

"Of course I'm back. But what is Aunt Hermione doing here? Didn't it work out?" Albus muttered as he looked around unhappily. Everything was just as it had been before. He had hoped for more.

"Albus Potter! You can consider yourself more than lucky that we were able to abort your foolish, childish, reckless rescue mission. Do you even know what you brought about? One doesn't play with time turners. Every small change of the past can have a devastating effect on your whole life. You not only killed your father but made us loose the whole war!" Hermione's voice was piercing and cold as she shouted at the boy. In her rant, she didn't notice at first that Professor McGonagall running towards them, followed closely by Draco, Ron, Harry and Ginny.

"Mrs. Granger!" The Headmistress called distressed. "Please compose yourself. What happened here?"

Confused, the addressed turned around and looked at the newcomers. She hadn't seen most of them in years. Her eyes rested on Draco and tears started to run on her cheeks, moistening her face.

"You are alive" She whispered, astonished. "This must be a dream."

Overflowing with gratitude, she looked at Scorpius for whom it finally sunk in, what had happened. Just like himself had replaced the Scorpius in the changed timeline, the Hermione he time travelled with had replaced the local Hermione. In their attempt to right everything as quick as possible, they had overlooked that detail. He wasn't able to voice his conclusion though, as Hermione was already running towards his father, enfolding him in her arms.

"Granger?" Draco looked down on the bushy haired woman huggin him, before he looked at Ron, smirking with an arched eyebrow. "Weasley why the hell is your crying broad in my arms ?"

Hermione flinched, as if hit, and even more tears spilled down her face. She looked at one man and then the other, her gaze conflicted and confused. Ron seized her arm and dragged her away from her husband, who apparently wasn't her husband.

She dislodged his hand from herself and took a step back from all of them. Seeking help she turned to Harry who looked just as confused as her. Her heart hurt just looking at him, while somewhere in her head a voice whispered she was only dreaming this all up.

"Hermione?" Harry asked calmly. "What exactly happened?"

He kept his gaze on her, hoping for an explanation. Nobody had ever seen her this distraught without something having gone really wrong. Her hair was wild and the clothes she wore were old and looked like they had been washed and patched-up by magic one too many times. She looked older and woren out, quiet different for the Hermione he had seen just days ago at the Platform 9 3/4.

Scorpius rose from his position next to Albus and stood next to Hermione patting her back awkwardly. "I fear that story is a long one."

"What did you do this time Scorpius?" His father's ice cold voice asked, but Professor McGonagall stepped in just then.

"The best would be, that we all head back up to my office. And for Miss Granger to have a tea to calm down." She offered and ushered them all back to Hogwarts. If anyone noticed she called Hermione by her maide name, no one commented and Hermione was glad she had not been called Mrs. Weasley. That would have been to much for her at the same time. She couldn't even believe they all were still alive.

"As for you two." The Headmistress looked at the two boys who had the insight to look sheepish. "I hope very much the two of you have a good explanation to make us all worry. Move along now."

Hermione tried to understand the situation through what she knew from Scorpius while they walked towards the office. When they entered, she noticed that it still looked like she remembered it from many years ago. "So Granger, what's all this about, pray tell?"

"Shut up, Draco!" She snarled at him and met his disbelieving gaze.

His eyebrow rose and he tilted his head. "Draco? I can't remember being on first-name basis with you, Granger."

Ron leaped to his feet and glared at him. "Don't talk to my wife like that, ferret." He snapped but Hermione ignored him.

"Interesting." Her gaze lingered sole on Draco "Emotional you are still seventeen."

"Is this your way to tell me that you think me to be childish? Wasn't it you who pounced on me like a madwoman?"

Hermione sighed and looked past Draco towards his son. "I should have pondered on the situation a bit longer and leave it to Severus to fix it and this whole dilemma wouldn't be since he's dead, isn't he?"

Scorpius forlornly looked at Hermione and shrugged. He was hopelessly overwhelmed by the situation. Albus nudging him all the way up to the office and trying to find out what had happened didn't help at all.

"Severus?" Professor McGonagall asked, attracting Hermione's attention. "What is going on Hermione?"


	2. A story that must be told

**Chapter 2 - A story that must be told**

"It would be best to start at the beginning. Or at the very least, the one I know and can tell." Hermione sighed and tried to get comfortable. She felt out of her depth with so many people around her. She was used to a small room and rare visits from others. But she knew how to explain things, once she had figured them out.

"By preventing Diggory to win the Triwizard Tournament, with the help of their time turner, our sons changed my timeline to a different outcome than yours here."

Draco raised an eyebrow and Ron looked a bit confused when she said the children were hers too but they didn't interfere in her story.

"Diggory joined You-Know-Who's forces after school. I can only assume that this is the turning point. At the battle of Hogwarts, Ron and me were held up by him on our way to the Chamber of Secrets. We needed one of the basilisk's teeth to destroy Nagini. Neville helped us get into the chamber, taking on Diggory alone. First we thought this was perfect and gathered what we needed." there was a short break at that point before she took a breath and continued while looking only at the Headmistress.

"When we came back up we found Neville lying in his own blood. I tried everything I knew about healing magic to help him but it was to late. In our frenzy we didn't notice Nagini first. She attacked Ron and hurt him bad enough to steal the teeth from him, while You-Know-Who announced Harry's death. I got Ron to the infirmary and rushed outside with Ginny. She had been there for a rather bad burning spell Bellatrix caught her with. We were just in time to see Hagrid. He had been carrying Harry's body towards us, followed by You-Know-Who, until he suddenly leaped up."

"You always called him Voldemort Mione. The fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself. It's what Dumbledore told us and you kept reminding me of." Harry whispered, dreading what twist this story was about to take, but his best friend shook her head and continued. No-one had understood that this wasn't their Hermione in front of them now. She had never been afraid of the name. She had provoked others after their victory to use it, fought tooth and nails against the fear.

"At first I thought we could still do it, with Harry still alive. I still had my own basilisk teeth and all I needed to do was to ram it into Nagini, I just needed to get close enough. But the damn snake was behind Harry already. She downed him and brought about the downfall. You-Know-Who used this advantage and shot one spell after another at Harry. I wasn't able to get to him and he couldn't win two fights at once. He was killed brutally, while we all watched, and then You-Know-Who used our state of shock to send his Death Eaters in to kill the rest of us. If it wasn't for Severus being one of us we all would have died there. After Hogwarts' walls fell, he took those of us he was fast enough to gather to an old bunker that was left over from the Second World War. He had everything planned out. There was a Fidelius Charm with him as our Secret's Keeper. Food, beds and as much comfort as the small rooms allowed. It was our base for decades while he kept spying and protecting us." Hermione took another deep breath before she continued.

"Ginny didn't handle Harry's death well. She poured herself into her work for the Order until she killed herself." Hermione had to clear her throat at that point. "Afterwards all Ron and George could think of was revenge. They were the only Weasley's left at that point. The rest had died at Hogwarts already. My job was to gather all information the others gave me and plan our attacks, to make it possible to win. I spent most of the time alone. Our numbers were slowly decreasing and Severus' visits were rare. Until one evening where he suddenly showed up with Draco. I tried to kill him that day. I nearly succeeded but Severus stopped me, and I was never more ashamed of myself. He was carrying the most beautiful and innocent thing in his arms I had seen in years. Astoria had given birth to Scorpius only a few hours earlier." Hermione looked at her adopted son with tears in her eyes. There was so much love there he felt a bit jealous of his other self. His parents loved him, no questions asked, but not this open and unconditional.

"I wasn't far from giving up then. It was him who anchored me and kept me sane. Astoria was too fragile for the life of a Death Eater. She was shattered by the pressure she was under and death came as a release. That was the way Draco saw it." Hermione laughed joylessly.

"It took him years to get to the point of accepting it. But that night, in blank despair, he told his father and the others his wife and his son had died and ran. All he wanted after her death was to keep Scorpius save, so he asked Severus for help. When Severus brought him to our headquarters and he saw me he nearly freaked. Understandable after my attempt to end his life. Severus required one week to change his mind. He agreed to help us and left his son to me. At first it made planning easier. We had more informations, but we were few. They exterminated us like bugs. One by one. Severus and Draco protected us as much as they could.

I think it was around five years ago when Lucius noticed something. I don't know what happened then. Severus didn't tell me much. I can only imagine the horror that happened at the Malfoy Manor that night. Draco wasn't the Secret's Keeper so there was no way for him to tell them anything about our hiding place. But instead of just telling them that his son was alive and put himself out of his misery he remained resolutely silent. We always called him a coward in school and he even behaved like one getting older at first. But this once that idiot had to show backbone." Hermione hiccupped and blinked away her tears.

She ignored everyone around her beside Minerva, who's face showed her blank despair upon hearing what could have been. She only had a vague understanding what the young woman in front of her had to undergo and it was breaking her heart. This Hermione was so much different from the one she had seen not to long ago, it shocked her on a grand level. Minerva McGonagall had witnessed to horrors of two wars, stood beside a man who had once confessed to her that he had agreed with Grindelwald for many years, and had lived through the death of her dear brother and her husband. Still she never wanted to live the life the young woman in front of her had experienced.

"I was heavily pregnant at that time. That was the reason he was distracted and his father was able to sense something was off. It's my fault. His father tortured him for days. When he got no answers he decided to call in help. He left his son with the choice to talk or receive a Dementor's Kiss. He took the kiss. Just to protect us and keep us save. Lucius left his body at Azkaban to rot. No chance for me to see him again or say goodbye." silent tears were running down Hermione's face. Scorpius, having heard only the short version until now, went to hug the older woman, while to others sat in mute shock. She wrapped her arms around him and wept.

Ron was the first to say something after a while:

"You were pregnant? With that git's child?" he pointed appalled at Malfoy. Like always he missed the point entirely. In many other situations his tactlessness would have been snickered about, but this time it felt simply wrong.

"I was married to him. So of course we had sex, and yes Ronald you can get pregnant by having sex." Hermione hurled defiance at him, looking at him with narrow eyes.

"I can't stop wondering why the hell I would ever marry you. Sometimes you say the stupidest things imaginable."

Malfoy next to her huffed and watched her, calculating "Instead you want to hoax me into believing I've got a second child?"

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 **It's getting started.**


	3. Aquila Rose Malfoy

**Chapter 3 - Aquila Rose Malfoy**

It was Scorpius who answered instead of Hermione. His voice was small and even a bit sad. "She had your eyes, father."

The prominent sneer dropped out of Malfoy's face, making him look vulnerable while he looked at his son: "She?"

"Aquila Rose Malfoy" Hermione whispered their daughter's name. She knew that she would never see her little girl again and it felt like a knife to her heart. She would have turned five soon. They never had much, but Hermione would have done anything to make it the best birthday a little girl could wish for. Severus would have gotten the gifts, Scorpius would have helped her charm the room and she would have baked Aquila's favourite lemon cake. Would have, could have, nothing like this would happen now.

Hermione clutched at something around her neck tightly, while she remembered her daughter's eyes, so much like her father's, just as Scorpius had pointed out. She had his pointed nose too, but made it look cute in her small face.

"I named her after the stars, like you asked me to. Keeping up the tradition, in honour of you mother." the first time since ending her story she looked straight into Draco's eyes. She could read him so well she mused. He was calculating what he had been told, but his eyes shined. Now he looked a lot more like her Draco than before. Still, he was different. He was confident, showing it in the way he sat upright. Moreover he didn't look crushed by his life, merely sad and tired. His clothing was tidy and expensive like always. His long hair was held back in a queue and everything about him screamed immaculate. She still liked him better dishelmed and sweaty, but she shouldn't think about it.

Hermione recalled to her mind that he had buried Astoria not so long ago. For her it had happened 15 years ago, but not for this Malfoy family here. As much as the two men resembled each other on the surface, they had faced different hardships through their lives, forming two different humans. They could never become the same being again. After loosing him, this was still better than never seeing him again, she decided.

This time it was Harry that cleared his throat to gain Hermione's attention. When she looked at him he had to ask:

"Summed up this means you can't remember anything that happened the last 18 years?"

She didn't answer. There was no reason to. How would she be able to remember something that never happened for her. They both knew, but it was something different to acknowledge out loud.

"That's it! How am I supposed to explain this to the children Hermione? Care to tell me?" Ron exploded right into her face. Hermione's eyes grew wide before she sat up straight and her whole demeanour changed.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, for once in your life get your shit together and don't put your own problems first. You want me to simply forget I had a small daughter until a few hours ago, was fighting a hopeless war and move on? Just as if nothing happened? Put yourself in my place! Try to understand how I feel. My husband and daughter are gone. He" she pointed at Draco "looks like the love of my life but doesn't remember he loves me. My new husband is my best friend, that I care deeply about but don't love. My other best friend is suddenly alive again, after dying in front of me nearly twenty years ago, while the person who was my best friend for all that time died instead. And on top of it all you do is shout at me and tell me we have kids?"

Scorpius took a few steps back away from her side. While her tirade she had jumped up and now loomed over Ron.

Everyone watched the witch with wide eyes. They knew her as a calm woman, that rather kept silent and mulled everything over twice. Now she resembled her old self from school a lot more than anyone wanted to admit. And even then it had been rare to see her explode like this.

"Wow, what a wildcat your are Granger. I guess you still have your temper." Draco purred and leant back comfortable in his chair. He savoured the feeling of somebody else being the target of her ire. At school it always had been him. Of course he knew that his teasing comment could make her change her target, but he counted on her so called love for him.

He didn't reciprocate her feelings, but even if he would never admit it, it was benefiting his ego immense that a intelligent woman desired him. He wasn't a young man anymore. His sex life was inexistent since Astoria fell ill. He had loved her and wasn't one to stray. He watched Hermione from top to bottom when he saw the ring on her finger. The ring that had been on Astoria's hand when she had been cremated after her death. If she hadn't played with it, then he most likely wouldn't have noticed it at all. The uncomfortable feeling that Granger might truly had left behind a small girl to help his son settled into his gut and made him ill. He didn't want the feeling, it had been her decision after all, but the sense of guilt was still there.

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 **A bit of Ron bashing and I'm nearly sorry for it. So I know my Hermione is a bit occ, but losing a child and fighting a war for years does that to you. What do you think?**


	4. Harry's fear

**Chapter 4 - Harry's fear**

Harry seemed to have gotten to a similar conclusion as Draco about Hermione's story because he unleashed his furry at his son:

"As for you Albus Severus Potter, you are grounded until you are of age. You have absolute no idea what could have happened if it wasn't for Hermione." he simmered with rage and his clenched hands trembled.

Hermione's sacrifice showed him once more just how bad it was to lose one's child. He couldn't loose his own son to his stupid heroic trait, that had most likely been his own heritage. Ginny took his hand, gently stroking it to calm him down, but it didn't help. She tried to say something but Harry interrupted her:

"I told you again and again to stay away from Scorpius. Together you just put bees in each other's bonnet." Said son tried to take up as little space as possible on his chair, while he and Scorpius looked at each other. Draco meanwhile looked as confused as his own son at Harry's choice of words, both not acquainted with the muggle saying.

At that point Hermione had enough and let fly: "Harry James Potter!" focusing her anger on Harry. Seemingly this was the moment everyone needed to be reminded of their full name.

"You won't blame my son because your son is just like his dad. He's really a chip off you. This propensity to irresponsibility is something he got straight from you. Wouldn't be the first Potter to nearly get his friends killed, would he?" This time it was Harry that tried to curl up in his chair.

Visible endeavoured to dissemble his excitement Draco made himself comfortable and watched the spectacle unfold. There was nothing better than watch lions go after each others throat. He was just a bit torn between amusement and awe.

"Dad and me are alike?" it came baffled from Albus direction and this time Draco couldn't hide his sniggering.

"Your father should have been called The-Boy-Who-Had-Unbelievable-Good-Luck" Draco joked but shut up when he saw the stern look Hermione shot his way. Happy she could still command respect from Draco, Hermione continued her own speech, back to glaring at Harry.

"And he should never forget that he's alive today because he had a lot of friends by his side. Helping him no matter how stupid his idea looked like. Damn Harry, even Aquila with her four years ordered Scorpius around. Don't confuse him and Draco just because they are family and look alike. As much as it pains me to admit, my son is a light-headed follower, not a leader. They are children with stupid ideas, just like us when we were in school."

Harry looked on the floor and nodded deliberately. Hermione was right. Ginny heaved a sigh of relieve and bowed her head towards Hermione in gratitude. Maybe she should give Harry a real telling-off more often. She knew his relationship with Albus had never been easy, but sometimes he positively overwhelmed his son. Harry had told her once that the Sorting Hat had wanted to sort him into Slytherin, but he had wished for Gryffindor so much that he got his wish. Why he was so hard on his son, who had ended up in the house, was clear but in her opinion still downright childish.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so angry. I don't want anything to happen to my son. I couldn't live with myself if it did." Harry groaned and gave Albus a sad look, who sat speechless on his chair, looking at his dad with big eyes.

"And how do we fix this whole thing now? I would like to have my wife back. That has to be possible." Ron grumbled and looked at the Headmistress. He was never one to accept the easiest solution and rather went head first into trouble. A loyal friend to the end, but stubborn as a mule. Hermione knew there would be a fight waiting over her answer.

"No." her and Professor McGonagall answered at the same time.

"Therefor we would need to change the past again and again until we are back to the point were I met Scorpius and..." Hermione looked at McGonagall and went mute. It was way to risky to dare.

"One life is never worth enough to risk those of others. Take that to heart please." Hermione looked at Ron first and the two boys after: "There are to many what ifs in history. For example if Regulus Black hadn't died, he would have had a high chance to kill You-Kn... V-Voldemort. He had the horcruxes figured out years before everyone else. What if he had told his brother. What if Lily decided to stay friends with Severus, just because he didn't say that one ugly word. They could have made him their Secret's Keeper. What if Peter had died when he tried his animagus, he wasn't the brightest student out there after all. You see what I mean? To many what ifs. I will need to settle in. I spend the last two decades teaching my kids and working out useless strategies that killed my friends one after another. It's simply not a risk I'm willing to take."

Hermione reached absentmindly for Scorpius hand to calm herself.

"We are always in need of a Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts. It's a curse to search for a new one each year. We even had curse breakers look all over the place, but couldn't find a reason why every Professor leaves after a year." Professor McGonagall offered an olive branch and Hermione smiled back in consent. It was something she could do while she searched for a way to make Ron's wish come true. Hogwarts may have a solution hidden in all the old books stored in the library.

For now she needed to know about the two children she had here. She hoped Ron would answer, because she could see how upset and angry he was about the dismiss of his demand.

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 **I like the way Hermione is bossy and a bit fragile at the same time.**

 **This chapter was hard to edit and I fear there are a bunch of grammar mistakes still, but please ignore them.**


	5. Finally getting divorced Dad?

**Chapter 5 - Finally getting divorced?**

There was a knock on the office door, while Hermione wanted to start asking her questions. Instead she sat back and watched the door open.

"Mom? Dad? I was told you were at school. Did something happen?" a young girl stood in the door. She had the typical red Weasley hair, but Hermione's unruly curls. Ron just took one look at her and panicked.

"Rose listen for a moment. There was an accident and now we've got a problem with your Moms' memories. She can't remember you at the moment. It's going to be fine. We are fine. Don't worry Rose." Hermione could only shake her head in astonishment. How Ron was able to make a situation worse than it already was would forever stay a mystery for her. She watched the girls face switch from concerned to horror.

"What? Why? What did Albus and Scorpius do this time? This is my Mom, she can't simply forget me." Rose panicked and her gaze switched from her mother to her father and back. It was then that she noticed her mothers firm grip on Scorpius' hand while looking at her. It made her frown.

"And why does she hold Scorpius hand?"

"Just let it be Ron. It's not as if that stupid excuses would work on any daughter of mine. Even if she's a Weasley she got my brain, I can see it working."

Draco next to her chuckled: "Technically you are a Weasley too, Granger." he chaffed her. She only rolled her eyes in response, her answer a whisper only he could hear.

"Not for long, if I can change it. And then your excuse is gone." she smirked at him and his own smile froze on his face. She had made him uneasy a second time today. He wasn't used to her teasing him back openly, and even less that she could see right through him. This time she was the one who has the last laughter, while turning back towards the girl.

"I'm very sorry Rose. I really can't remember you, your father was right about the memory loss. Even if it's for other reasons than the one he offered." she nearly spat the word father.

Harry kept wondering just why Hermione seemed to hate Ron so badly. There had to be a bigger story behind this than she had let on in her narrative. She may still call him her best friend but as soon as something more was portrayed she went into denial. Her behaviour was so different from the one the Hermione he and the others had spent the last few years with, it was a bit off putting. She was missing the composure and the finesse her counterpart had displayed. Her wild hair and her temper resembled the girl he went to school with so many years ago. There was agony in her eyes, but when she looked at Draco the shadows vanished. She looked younger and in love. A lot like the Hermione he had seen at her own wedding. It was surreal to watch for Harry, because he mind kept telling him she looked at the wrong man, while his logic told him that Ron and Hermione were over years ago. They argued a lot and made up, most times because Hermione backed down. The few times it was about something really dear to her heart she ignored Ron until he gave up and came grovelling. They had made it work for the family, not for themselves.

"Does this mean you are finally getting divorced?" Rose floated her question and emphasised especially on the finally. Ron looked at his daughter in shock and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out of it.

"Common Dad. Everyone knows you and Mom hadn't been happy with each other in years. Just watch the difference between the two of you and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Even Hugo caught on to it years ago."

Hermione burst into a hearty laughter.

"She has Ginny's temperament." there where tears in here eyes now "So much like Aquila."

"Where is your brother, Rose?" Ron asked bugged. He hadn't seen Hermione laugh and cry that much in years and it occurred to him just how apart they had grown.

"He's not here dad, and I'm rather happy about it. Looks like she found herself a replacement for us rather soon too. He would be heartbroken to see her cuddling that snake. And who the hell is Aquila?"

"Young lady, watch your words. Don't just randomly blame others." Hermione hissed at the girl, ignoring her question. She just couldn't stand how everyone treated her boy.

"How could she be my mother? She might resemble her, but she is nothing like Mom." Hermione huffed uncharacteristically, enhancing the impression her daughter had. The girl stormed out and left Ron to look at Hermione in disbelief.

The Headmistress took this as her clue.

"I think it's best we leave Miss Granger to settle in for today and have a good night sleep before further talks. Up you go!" she commanded and started to usher the adults out of her office.

"The both of you will stay Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter." she stopped her students when they tried to follow Hermione to the door. "There are things we need to discuss about school rules. The ones that apply on you too, you know." She raised an eyebrow but beside it her face didn't change from her usual stoic.

Draco nodded towards his son and was the first to floo away.

"Would it hurt to say goodbye?" Hermione commented from the door after Draco was gone, unable to hear her. Scorpius shrugged and smiled at her, he was used to it.

Harry pat his son's back on his way out and Ginny hugged him to herself.

"We know you didn't want anything bad to happen." she kissed his forehead and followed her husband trough the Floo.

"Frilly" McGonagall called and a small House-elf appeared in her office.

"Please show Miss Granger to a room for guests. She will stay with us from today."

The two women nodded at each other and Hermione smiled at both boys before she left the room. They were in for a lecture they would remember for the rest of their life and a lot of detention.

* * *

 **I'll let you wonder with Harry. Feel free to take a guess, since I got it written already I would love to see/read your ideas.**


	6. Saturn shines bright

**Chapter 6 - Saturn shines bright**

That night the Astronomy Professor Luna Sprouse stood alone on top of the Astronomy Tower after her class had finished and was watching the waning moon when another planter caught her eye. Saturn, who had started to vanish in the late spring, was suddenly visible brightly on the horizon. A gasp left her mouth and a chill went down her spine. She narrowed her brown eyes on the planet, but it didn't dim, making her aware that something had happened. The stars were often used in old forms of Divination and ignoring such a sign would make a fool of her.

Still, for now there was nothing to do beside watch it for the next days. The stars would offer their secrets, but never to those who had no patience.

The wind rustled her long light brown curls, the moonlight made it look blond at some spots, when she turned around and took the stairs towards her private chamber.

XxX

Ron met up with Hermione the next day, after she had spent the night settling into her new room at Hogwarts, if trashing around on her bed, plagued by nightmares could be called setteling in.

The room was on the 3rd floor, behind a drawing of a pair of boys, that hadn't wanted to let Ron in at first. He had to wait until Hermione opened the door from within to enter. The sitting room was a small space with a fire place, two chairs and a study desk. There was another door leading to a second room, he assumed would be her bedroom. The room itself was a mix of wooden inventory, green carpet and sunny yellow walls.

Ron felt unrested after spending the night alone in his bed. From the dark circles under her eyes, that hadn't vanished, he saw she hadn't fared much better.

He came with the goal to fix his marriage, but knew she would make it hard on him. He understood, that she had no memories of their time together, but maybe they could start over and get to know each other.

The woman in front of him was so different from his smiling Hermione. She had always fixed everything after a disagreement. He hadn't been at his best the day before and maybe this time he would do some grovelling until she agreed to work it out together. Because that's what they did, had done for decades, work it out.

Still he would have never imagined that she would start the conversation with the words she did, right after he entered the room awkwardly.

"I'm sorry Ronald, but I want to divorce you as soon as possible."

If it were physically possible his jaw would have hit the carpet on the ground of her room. Not even looking at him she continued breaking his heart, his plans shattering.

"From what I understand your marriage was falling apart long before I took your wife's place. But what's even more important: I'm not your wife. I always loved you as a dear friend and would like to get to know the man you have grown into, but I'm not your Hermione. I love my husband and my children. I just can't look at you."

She looked right into his eyes, unblinking and emotionless, but Ron was sure she didn't even see him. There was nothing on her face beside the paleness and wrinkles he had never seen on his wife's face. She looked older than the 40 years she would turn soon. Ron was twenty years married to her, had spend nearly thirty years beside her, but the woman in front of him was a stranger. He didn't know why he was punished like this, maybe he had taken the easy way out to many times. Maybe he hadn't cherished his wife enough. There was no way to know why, but the reality was, he was about to lose his wife. He wanted to rage, scream but the woman in front of him just kept talking.

"It will take some time to adjust to having two different kids here without faking a marriage with you. And it will grant me the reason to switch my job if we fall apart. I promise you, I will try to talk to your kids, knowing they would be mine, if things had been different. Merlin, I don't even know what my job is here, just that I need to quit it. I will stay at Hogwarts for now and I hope you can send me some clothes and stuff here. I'm overwhelmed at the moment and will take Minerva's offer until everything about the divorce is sorted out. I'm so very sorry you losing her, I really am, but I can't change it without risking everyone else. Please don't blame my son. I'm at fault for ending up here. He didn't knew better."

She had seen Ron's rage boil while she kept talking and now, when he finally had the chance to get a word into the conversation, he exploded. Mentioning her son again was the last straw for him.

"He is not your son. Hugo is. And nothing is fixed by saying you are sorry. That's what you always told me and our kids."

When Hermione just continued to look out the window, blinking unseeing Ron carried on in a calmer tone.

"Fine. Have your divorce. We've had it coming anyway. Looks like even the kids noticed. They both got your brain,so how about you telling them yourself. But don't come back complaining to me when you notice it was a mistake. It's not like that asserted husband of yours would take a mu-"

There was a short awkward break and they both knew what he had been about to say but Ron carried on, while Hermione gasped hurt. "-woman like you in this timeline. Blimy, you are to good for him!"

Tears spilled from her eyes, but her face remained averted. Ron's face showed that he regretted what he said the second it left his mouth, but he turned around and exited the door without another word, all his hope turned to ash within a few minutes. He had to leave now, or risk making everything worse, if that was even possible. His heart was broken and she hadn't even had the decency to look at him while doing it.

"I see. You still have your temper. At least it didn't kill you in this timeline." She whispered to herself and dried her tears with her sleeve.

* * *

 **Does this qualify as Ron bashing? I hope not and I made some changes to show his feelings more. If you are a fan of Ron, I promise you he might have his flaws, but he's a fine guy.**

 **I like Ron, just not as Hermiones partner.**

 **Luna Sprouse is a very old character and because of the many different people that will join us on our journey I wanted an OC that would be easy to write. So please meet my alter ego Luna.**

 **Some of the older readers might remember to old boards were you would write stories with others. You had your character and all the different places around Hogwarts and the World to spin tales. For me it was always Luna Sprouse, I never had another chara. It feels great to meet her again after all this years and she fit right in.**


	7. Talk to me

**Chapter 7 - Talk to me**

The girl that was her daughter in this world came not long after Ron had left. Hermione didn't know if she had met her dad or if she was simply curious. Her red hair was braided and her eyes blazed a similar way Ron's did.

"You are not my Mom. I don't care what Dad said. Why would he care to protect an imposer? Who are you?" Hermione sighed and sat down. Of course any daughter of hers would see right trough an act like this. Hermione gave her the once-over and decided that she needed to answer a few questions, no matter how hard it was to look at the girl. At first she didn't see the similarities between Rose and herself, only the traits her new daughter shared with Aquila. With a little imagination she could envision an older Aquila in place of Rose. Hermione knew it wasn't healthy, but it was the way her brain kept from accepting the loss of her daughter. Gathering her courage and suppressing any lingering panic she began to explain what she could.

"My name is Hermione Jane Malfoy and yes you are right. I am not your mother, but I was the same girl your mother once was. At least until a certain point where our lives took different routes."

Rose's face showed her distaste when she heard the name.

"Why would any woman in her right mind marry into the Malfoy family?" she spat "That man is a Death Eater, a killer and his son is nothing but trouble. Scorpius is a Slytherin prat and dad told me you called him your son? Did he confund or imperius you?"

"Don't you dare talk like that about things you have no idea about. And stop with that stupid house prejudices. You should know better little girl." Hermione hissed through her teeth and received a shocked look. She knew she needed to get a better grip on her anger, but so many things here set her on edge. The way everyone looked at her, some speculating if she had lost it and the rest pitting her. Rose was placed in the first group and Hermione only wanted to get over with it as fast as possible.

"You really aren't my mother. She would have never lost her temper so easily. Just lucky you want to divorce Dad so we won't need to put up with you."

"There was a time when I had feelings for Ron, but we never worked. Confined on such a small place we were always arguing, he drove me crazy. So yes I married a Slytherin prat as you so eloquently put it. But one with a good heart, that did everything he could to protect his family and in the end, received a fate worse than death in doing so. I will not tell you the whole ugly story, as you are still a child, but war is never pleasant or nice. Yes, I'm a different woman from the one your mother grew into, but I had hoped we would try to get along. I see a lot from your father's traits in you, but was told you have my logical mind. You'll figure it out once you are over your anger."

Hermione got up and smiled sadly at the girl that looked too much like her, if it was not for the bright red hair. It was surreal and made her melancholic. But she was able to look past Roses' resemblance to Aquila and that made Hermione proud of herself.

"He called you a mudblood and bullied you for years. And then you went and married that Death Eater?" Rose shouted.

"So I am to bear a grudge for something that was beaten into him by his upbringing? He overcame what was told to him his whole life and changed to be a better man. While you sit here, still believing every bad things about Slytherin your father told you and are just as prejudicing towards his son as Draco was towards me?" looking the girl straight in the eyes she continued. "I was told my daughter was brilliant, so use your head. Do you dislike Scorpius because he's his father's son, or because of himself?"

"He's annoying and always so obvious. It's as if he wants to show the whole world that he loves me and that I belong to him."

Hermione laughed.

"Sounds like a second James Potter to me."

"What does this have to do with James?"

"Harry's Dad, not his son. You should hear the stories how he swooned over Lily in the seventieths." Then she went back to being serious. "But I'm sure if you simply tell Scorpius in a level-headed conversation that you are not interested and that you want him to stop, he would. Without yelling or hate, just be sincere. Why did you never try that? You don't really want him to stop, do you? As much as you loathe it, don't you depend on it happening? It's hard to accept, but you might want to think about it. To be loved is a gift we should cherish, it always ends to soon."

With that she walked towards the door and shut it silently after herself, giving Rose no chance to answer. She would come back later, after the girl cooled down and left, classes would start soon. For now she would visit the library and maybe the Headmistress. She was in dire need of company that didn't judge her.

XxX

"You can't keep ignoring me Scorpius." Albus told his friend at breakfast. Since leaving the Headmistress office the evening before, Scorpius hadn't looked at Albus nor had said a word. He had dropped into his bed and had been asleep within seconds. Albus on the other side of the room hadn't slept well at all. Nightmares about the story Aunt Hermione had told them kept waking him up every time he drifted off. Once he was awake he couldn't stop thinking about Delphi. She would be even more disappointed in him than his parents. He couldn't rescue Cedric for her and he lost the time turner on top of it. He wanted to talk to Scorpius about it but his friend was no help. Annoyed, he took a bite of his breed and glared at the blond boy next to him.

Scorpius was lost in his own thoughts while he ate. He had told Hermione, no Mrs. Weasley, or was it Miss Granger, about Albus' girlfriend when they met in the other timeline. He didn't trust Delphi and Albus was to love struck to notice something was off about the girl. Why would a young woman spend time with two 15 year old boys, if not to use them. She had send them on the mission after all, by talking Albus into it. Like a true Slytherin, she had used the complex Albus had about his heroic father and used it against him. To be cunning was a good trait, but only as long as it wasn't used selfishly. His Dad always told him to watch out who to trust and never snub the rest.

All Albus talked about the whole morning was how he failed both his family and Delphi. Once he stopped that he asked what Scorpius had seen, if he had met his namesake Severus and about his little sister Aquila. Scorpius didn't want to talk about any of it before he had it figured out. He needed to make sure Albus didn't risk their lives again, that his dad was happy again and show Rose what a great guy he was.

Standing up he took his stuff and shook his head. One step after another, for now they had class to attend and he had a best friend to take care of.

"Scorp!" Albus swallowed his food and ran after him. "Common mate talk to me."

"Alb" Scorpius groaned, but threw his arm around his friend.

"We'll work this out, I know it." Albus promised confident but got no answer as they made their way to Charms.

* * *

 **I wanted to post my chapter for today when I noticed that I hadn't finished the conversation between Alb and Scorp.**

 **So a bit later today but here it is. Have fun everyone :)**


	8. The Minister of Magic

**Chapter 8 – The Minister of Magic**

Headmistress McGonagall had called in a staff meeting in the morning, telling everyone about Mrs Granger-Weasley's stay at Hogwarts and spun some tale about a magical accident involving the Minister of Magic that was to be kept secret. It would be left to Hermione to tell the truth to those she trusted. Professor Longbottom offered his support if any plants were needed and Professor Trelawney muttered about unbreakable curses, bad omens and hunting ghosts, but most of the professors simply accepted the fact and continued with their normal daily chatter as they went down to breakfast.

One professor didn't say anything, but her caramel eyes narrowed when she heard about the visitor. Professor Sprouse stood in the back of the room with her arms crossed and her nearly six feet towered over most of the other professors. Her high cheekbones, dark lashes and a small mole right under her left eye made her a good-looking woman by most standards. She had joined the staff the year before and was the youngest in their midst, but highly skilled in her field.

Having gone to school at Uagadou School of Magic after her family had fled Great Britain before Voldemort's second terror regime. She was skilled at wandless magic in a way others couldn't even manage with their wands. Still she taught a class that didn't use magic at all: Astronomy.

Her father, Fabian Sprouse was a Half-blood from the Netherlands and had taken his family to Africa's safety, hiding them in Swaziland, now known as the Kingdom of Eswatini. They had lived in a small flat at Mbabane when she was a kid and life had been strange as the only blond and fair-skinned child, but she hadn't cared.

Her mother, Milena Selwyn, had made sure they fled, fearing for her family's life, when her own brother, a Death Eater, announced that the Dark Lord would be back. It had taken them a few years until they settled in but they were happy and so they hadn't left when the good news of Voldemort's final death reached them.

Her father's death three years ago, though, had changed it all. Her mother had begged her to move to England, to many memories were tied to Mbabane. She wanted to spend the rest of her life in the country in which she was born and still loved dearly. Luna had asked for a year to finish her Mastery in Astronomy and made it possible for them to move.

That Professor Sinistra was then looking for a successor and had been a lucky providence, or it had been fate, only a matter of whom you asked.

For now Professor Sprouse knew that something more was behind the Headmistress' story just by looking at the older woman.

There was always the possibility that Saturn's sudden return was tied to this event, that at least was what her gut instinct told her, an instinct she trusted since she was a little girl.

xXx

After breakfast, the Headmistress was alone in her office until one of the portraits told her she had a guest waiting at the Gargoyle. Classes would start in a few minutes so she hoped it wasn't one of her professors or students, either would mean bad news.

She settled herself into her chair and waited for the visitor to knock on her door.

"Come in."

The young witch she saw a few moments later made her smile. It was a pleasant surprise to see her this early.

"I hope you settled in well Hermione." she offered the chair opposite of hers and called for her House-elf as soon as the other woman had settled.

"Please bring some tea for us Frilly."

The small elf Hermione had already met the night before bowed and vanished with a small pop.

"Professor McGonagall please accept my apologies for yesterday." Hermione started and was happy to see the strict but loved professor of her childhood smile at her.

"Minerva, please. There's no need for formalities between us. I met your other self a lot since she was appointed as Minister of Magic. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Hermione's eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth as she whispered a shocked denial.

"No! Please tell me I'm not the Minister of Magic in this world."

"No one told you?" Minerva was ashamed of her lack of tact, while Hermione shook at head in response.

"I shouldn't have assumed you knew, please accept my apologies."

There was an awkward silence between them while Hermione tried to sort out the chaos in her head this new revelation had caused. When the Headmistress had offered her the job as a professor yesterday she had thought she could take her up on it without further trouble, but now there was a lot to consider.

Minerva could see the fire in Hermione's eyes. The young woman was still as determined as she had known her. Give her a problem and she would do anything to solve it until it was. It was why she was such a good Minister of Magic. It would be a huge loss for the Magical community if she quit, but after seeing her in the state she had been in yesterday, she was more worried for the woman herself than for the government. She wanted her to have a second choice, so she had offered her a place in the school. Even if she don't take it Minerva would always have a soft spot for her old student.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I wasn't prepared for this news but I thank you for letting me know. I originally came to ask if I could take your offer to stay at school."

There was a steel in Hermione that hadn't been there before. She had always been strict but with a softer air to her. Minerva could see the influence her old college had on the young woman.

"You are welcome here any time Hermione. I already told the professors that you would stay for some time. There was nothing revelled about the reasons but a small reference to a magical accident. If you want me to acquaint you with them you are welcome to join us in the Staff Room or in the Great Hall whenever you want to."

"I would like that very much but I think I need a few days to get accustomed to larger groups."

Hermione didn't mention that she used more than one detour on her way here to avoid students in the halls. She had even hidden in a secret passage when a group of seven passed by her. It wasn't so much the students themselves but a panic she couldn't keep down once someone was behind her. Her constant fear they could attack her was as much frightening as it was annoying to her. It was like her imagination was at war with her logical mind.

"Understandable." Minerva stirred her tea that appeared on the table between them. "Sugar or milk?"

"Both please."

The rest of the time the woman kept away from darker themes and talked about the school and Minerva's life. As strange as it was, Minerva simply thought of her as an old friend who had spend the last twenty years aboard.

* * *

 **I reupdated all the old chapters after EvaFanFic has done an awesome work betaing them. Check them out if you want.**

 **I noticed the first lemon is still sooo far away I added some into the next chapter. But just a tiny little bit.**


	9. Nightmares and hot chocolate

**Chapter 9 – Nightmares and hot chocolate**

 _She was save. There were strong arms around her, hugging her and pushing her against a warm naked chest. She recognized the smell and felt reassured to drift off again into the darkness. Something in the back of her mind kept nagging her, though. Something was wrong, someone was missing, but she ignored it by cuddling into the embrace. It was her escape from harsh reality._

 _A hand was stroking her lovingly along her back and the second grabbed her bum. She felt a groan escape her and she tried to get closer to the sexy male, rubbing herself against him. She could feel how much he wanted her poking against her loin. Her hands started to wander down his body, memorizing every naked inch of it. She knew this body, this man, by heart but the name was lost on the tip of her tongue. His hand slipped for her back to her hips and further between her legs. She could feel him probing her gently and his lips teased her, nipping her throat. Heat gathered in her middle as she kissed him hungrily._

 _Suddenly the arms were torn away from her and a small girl shouted her name. She opened her eyes but there was no light for her to see anything. The cry she had heard before came again but the darkness stayed, wrapping itself around her, making her feel as cold as ice._

 _"You left her." a man's voice accused her. It sounded hurt and hateful. She knew his voice but couldn't remember who it was from. The knowledge was hidden, just out of her reach._

 _"No!" Hermione answered weakly. "I would never leave her willingly."_

 _"You left her!" this time he shouted right next to her ear and ..._

Hermione woke up in her bed in Hogwarts. Tears were streaming down her face. Yes she had left her behind. Her little girl she had promised him to protect. She alone was to blame for what had happened.

The nightmare had made his skin crawl and Hermione rubbed her face to centre herself to the present.

"No, no, no, no!" she whispered to herself and tried to keep away the panic attack that lingered at bay. Deep breaths through the mouth helped her ease it until she sat sweaty and shivering in her bed. It was still the middle of the night, but she knew she wouldn't fall back asleep anytime soon.

Maybe a trip to the kitchen was just what she needed. Wrapping herself in a warm nightgown that had been in the trunk Ron had sent her, she slipped into her shoes. She didn't want to overthink everything again. When she had gone to bed, she had made herself promise to tackle her problems after a full-sleep night and with a clear head. Now she had neither and it wouldn't help her to add the nightmare into her considerations.

On her way down, she ran into a tall woman whose long hair went down to the floor in soft waves.

"I'm sorry!" Hermione offered and looked up at the professor. At least she supposed the woman was a professor.

"Good evening Minister Granger." offered a deep female voice that didn't sound tired at all, despise the late hour.

"Please call me Hermione. I don't care much for my title at the moment."

Of course she was reminded again that her ambitious self had gone for Minister of Magic to make the world a better place. She could already feel the headache reforming, just thinking about what it would cost her to quit that job again. It would be a nightmare and make things a little more complicated than she had planed. But there was nothing she could do about it now, in the middle of the night on a dark floor in Hogwarts.

Hermione tried to guess which Professor stood in front of her. Minerva had offered her to meet them all but after meeting Ron and his –not their– daughter today, she had been too exhausted to keep herself together in front of a large group.

Since she didn't knew if they had met before Hermione didn't dare to ask for a name, but the woman offered it anyway.

"Then please call me Luna. It's an honour to meet you, but I won't keep you from your task. Tuffle makes a wonderful hot chocolate. Good night Hermione, sleep well."

Blue robes billowed when the professor vanished into the dark corridor within seconds. The thought that Severus would have been proud of this struck Hermione before she realised that this witch knew that she was seeking the kitchen. Hermione didn't know if it was a good guess or if she gave it away somehow, her brain was to muddled to overthink it.

Later that night, she was thankful for the nightly encounter when Tuffle's lovely cup of hot chocolate helped her sleep peacefully.

XxX

Delphini stood next to a broad dark man, hidden by his cloak, her silver hair a stark contrast to his black attire. The house around them was old and rundown with no neighbourhood to speak of.

"These boys are useless. I haven't heard from them in days. Nothing changed. NOTHING!" she seethed. It had taken her years to get this far. Years of planning and involving herself into Diggory Sr.'s life. The prophecy was clear, all they had to do was make sure Cedric stayed alive, that shouldn't be hard.

"Never let others do your work if you want it done." she continued and looked into dark brown eyes.

"Delphi." the man beside her said in a deep, slightly raspy voice. He said nothing more, but there was no need. She became silent and he knew she was planning her next moves. Sometimes he could see her mother's rumoured craziness in her, but he would never call her out on it. Delphini Riddle was a calculating and intelligent but lonely woman. He understood her wish for a family and stood by her side when no other would. It was the least he could do for her, his life debt ensured it.

* * *

 **Finally we meet Delphi, she's to be our Villain after all. There is no fun withou the dark side. I was always told they have the cookies.**

 **Sakura Lisel: I think this chapter told you which way this Hermione inclines, but you'll see. Can't tell you before you read it after all :)**

 **Dreiana: Thank you, this makes me work extra hard on the next chapters.**


	10. Papers of Doom or Happiness?

**Chapter 10 – Papers of Doom or Happiness?**

A few days later, Hermione put down the Daily Prophet and tapped her finger in a steady beat against the table. It was already all over the paper, that the Minister of Magic was missing important meetings. She had sent an owl calling in sick on her second day here in Hogwarts, right after she had found out about her job, but that wouldn't do for long. She had to cut herself loose from her old life. Taking a quill and a parchment, she started writing to the Wizengamot to resign, she had delayed dealing with the outcome long enough, fearing she could regret her decision.

Maybe she seemed impulsive to an outsider, but there was a plan in motion for her. She knew it wasn't the smartest one, but she hadn't forever to figure out what to do.

She had only picked up the Prophet to see if news of her divorce petition had made it into publical knowledge. The owl had delivered it to Ron and the Ministry yesterday, but it looked like nothing transpired. The divorce hadn't been something she had to mull over for long at any rate.

XxX

Ronald Weasley was an impulsive man, a strategist if he kept his mind calm, and a father who loved his children. He would do nearly everything possible for them. Hermione had been a good mother, but with the long working hours at the ministry and the strain her post had put on her, the children had always come to him with small problems and every day questions.

After the blowup at Hogwarts, he had taken out his anger on the new developments he and George had been working on for the joke shop until he'd felt something like normality again. Of course Hermione had had to send the papers right when he felt a bit better and was working on a strategy to show her how much her family needed her. It had nearly caused a second blowup, but this time he had been able to stop himself.

Maybe his daughter was right and they needed some time separated to look at their relationship like an outsider would, with an objective look. He could see now how the constant bickering would disturb the children. It was something he wanted to work on, his children deserved a good childhood and their parents were supposed to have that in mind.

It still didn't change the fact that he had divorce papers on his table at home, that he needed to explain his children their mother wouldn't be home in the winter break and that his mood was constantly bad for nearly a week. He still had work to do and a brooding man wasn't what a joke shop needed.

George took care of the costumers after he sent Ron back to theback of the store, where he was out of sight. He hadn't asked what was wrong the last few days nor had he been to goofy once he was around Ron and it was something Ron was more than grateful for. While storing the store, he had more than enough time to ponder his options.

XxX

Hermione met up with Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place after finishing her letter. He had sent an invitation the second day of her stay at Hogwarts. She knew she needed to take a few days to prepare meeting him mentally. Between stopping herself from hexing everything that upset her, her nightmares, her husband and her daughter, she had needed to calm down first. To settle into a life without war was her dream come true, but it was hard the way it happened. She had come to terms with the life in hiding, the loved ones she had lost and the joy of raising her children. To be thrown into a place were everything she knew and loved was out of her reach made her feel hamstrung. Only now that her plan was set in motion she felt like she could face Harry.

When she first entered the old house, she was in awe. It had changed a lot since the days of war and the time it was used as a headquarter for the Order of Phoenix. Harry and Ginny had successfully made it into a welcoming home. The walls were coloured in light orange, making the entry look bright and cosy. The old dark wood was freshly stained and there was no shouting upon her entry.

"How did you get rid of Mrs. Black?" She asked looking at a big family portrait of the Potters instead of the old curtains that had hidden the screaming lady.

"Don't ask. It was an odyssey. I had to ask someone from the Department of Mysteries for help in the end. When Ginny was pregnant the first time she had a screaming match with Mrs. Black, and I knew she had to go. Fast!" Harry remembered and shuddered. He drove her into the kitchen and offered tea when they sat down to talk. The kitchen was modern and Hermione saw some muggle inventions standing around like a mixer. The tiles were a muted white and harmonized with the wooden colours that continued from the hall to this room.

"There are so many things I want to ask you, but I fear to bring up bad memories. So please tell me if you are uncomfortable in any way Hermione." He started, looking at her. There was something he had to get of his chest, but it was for her ears alone, so he had asked Ginny to spend the day somewhere else. His beautiful wife had been furious at first but she understood him and was visiting her mother now, only a Floo call away should he need her afterwards.

"I'm sorry for dying and leaving you behind. And I'm even more sorry for my idiotic son to have messed up your life so badly. To hear your story frightened me to a degree, and made me thankful all the more. Voldemort must have been after you, if you planned all the coups and I know you being you, that you hit them hard."

* * *

 **I added the part with Ron last minute because I noticed he never got to voice his opinions. Maybe Harry is a bit to understanding? I reread HP8 the last few days to remember the dynamics and noticed he had a rather bad temper with Albus. Lets see...**

 **Next week will most likely be early, because I'll spend a long weekend camping with friends.**


	11. Struggling parent

Chapter 11 – Struggling parent

"He believed me to be dead." Hermione interposed. She felt bad to have Harry apologise for something he had no hand in and that he blamed his own son. You-Know-Who killed him, but to see him and everyone else alive was what mattered to her.

"It's a long story I'd rather cut short because I hate what Draco had to do for me. He killed someone... Someone that was polyjuced as me and showed that memory to Vol... Voldemort. He had no reason to believe betrayal from Draco at that point and was more than happy to have me out of his way. I was the last part of the Golden Trio alive back then, and the last known Order member. That was around the first part of my pregnancy. I wasn't able to leave the underground vault since then, but until then I was a main target, that's right. One of the reasons the others wouldn't let me leave the hideout even before. I don't want to lie Harry, it was lonely most of the time. Even with Scorpius and later Aquila around, I lived for the moments when one of the other adults was with me." Hermione explained, smiling at her old friend.

It was as if no time had passed since school. She just had to tell her head to shut up, as it kept telling her she was turning mad, talking to a ghost, while she logically knew he was very much alive. Memories arose, of his dead body on the ground, of the snake attacking him from behind. She fought against them, knowing she would relive the moments in her dreams tonight. Not that she slept much anyway. It took a lot energy to stay in the present, but it was a fight Hermione was determined to win.

"There is no reason for you to be sorry Harry. It wasn't your son, but me who messed up. I should be non-existent. I took the place of the person who should be rightfully here. A Hermione that was loved by every one of you. If someone has to apologise it's me. There are reasons time turners shouldn't be able to go back more than a few hours. The paradox I created with turning up here is bad enough. I hope you agree to destroy the device, it's dangerous. I know Ron hoped to get his Hermione back, but we can't risk it Harry. I spend hours in the library and the restricted section the last few days. Nothing good can come out of it."

Hermione plead with him but he gave her no answer and she saw how torn he was about what she asked of him. For now she kept the time turner safe, always having it with her, but she wouldn't tell him until she knew he agreed with her. Switching the topic, she continued.

"Scorpius mentioned there was a young woman with them, encouraging them. We need to find more about her, I only remember small bits but I think Scorpius said she is Albus' girlfriend. I got a bad feeling about her. The way Scorpius mentioned her showed he didn't trust her or her influence on Albus."

"I'll ask Albus. But to be true I don't think he'll be too open about it. We aren't on best terms and I said some things to him..." Harry had to admit. Ginny knew and always encouraged him to change it, but it was hard. Albus reminded him a lot of himself at that age, making it hard to get through his stubbornness. The way his son taunted him, he just snapped. There was no way to keep his temper in check as much as he tried.

"Yes, I noticed." was the rather sly answer of the witch in front of him. "He reminds me of someone. Just give him space like Ron and I did when you were the idiotic kid."

"Hermione." Harry cringed when she threw his own words back at him. She didn't knew the struggles he had with his son and his first thought was that she should stay out of it. Still she was his friend and as such she would always scold him, be he eleven or forty, it was who Hermione was.

"Then don't talk like this about your son. He deserves his dad to understand him even if it's hard sometimes. I know you love your son but he needs to know, not me. He's a teenager Harry."

They smiled at each other but neither smile was a happy one. Hermione had nothing more to say about the topic and Harry bit his tongue to keep his snappish reply to himself.

She hadn't told him anything new, as it was a common argument between him and Ginny. It bothered him how all the woman in his life berated him for his relationship with Albus when he was the first to know that it sucked. He did feel bad about it after all, but it wasn't something be could fix while his son was in school. He wasn't even sure if it would be fixed any time soon, as he was still angry about what happened to Hermione.

It didn't matter what she said, his son was involved. The news about a girlfriend didn't make it any better. If it was really true, that she had been the one to make his son do something as stupid as he did, Harry didn't want her near his son. All he ever wanted was for his family to be safe and happy.

* * *

 **So there was a reader on AO3 rather unhappy with the way Harry behaved, calling his own son an idiot Chapter 10. I made that statment based on the was Harry behaved in act 1 of HP8. We talked about it a lot and she unknowingly made me expand this chapter into two chapters because I wanted to add some insights into the Harry's reasoning. As I told her already, Harry and Alb as I see them are both to stubborn to go back to a happy family without problems.**

 **Credits for the Chapter titel go to my lovely beta Eva, the one I picked first was uther rubbish :D**


	12. Midwife Snape

Chapter 12 – Midwife Snape

"Can you tell me who we lost in this world? With nearly everyone I knew dead, it would be nice to know. I don't want to cry every time I see someone I believed dead. Minerva talked to me a lot but we kept to normal everyday life so I didn't want to ask her."

The question was important to her and Hermione had build up the courage to ask it since she stepped into the house.

"We lost Fred, Snape, Tonks and Lupin at the battle of Hogwarts. A lot of Death Eaters and even a few students died, Lavender and Colin among them. But compared to what you lost we were lucky." Harry answered her, suddenly pulled out of his thoughts.

Hermione pondered the answer a few seconds until she continued.

"Yes, I guess. I miss him. Severus I mean. Does anyone know what happened to his daughter?"

"A daughter ? Are you sure Hermione?" Harry asked, his eyes glittering, nearly choking on surprise. He still worshipped his old Professor for what he had done for him. Maybe Snape had been a greasy dungeon bat but without him they would have been lost. Harry still regretted never having told Snape thank you because they couldn't rescue him.

"Yes. Severus hid her, but the Dark Lord wasn't interested in her mostly. She's a Squib. Or was. When Severus angered the Dark Lord again and again after the battle at Hogwarts he had to watch her being tortured to death for his constant failing in finding out where the Order was hiding. Ironic, isn't it? Another person he loved that died for the greater good. He was like a father to me. A sarcastic and strict one, but still a father. And a great grandfather for the kids. If it hadn't been for him, I'm sure Aquila's delivery wouldn't have been so pleasant. He took care of everything."

Hermione giggled remembering that night. Labour was hard on the body but now, years later, she only remembered the good parts. Memory was really faulty sometimes, especially if hormones were added into the mix, she knew that now.

"They had a special bond after that."

There was a big smile on Hermione's face while she momentary forgot all the bad things and remembered her small baby in the arms of one Severus Snape. His stricken look the first time he held her that morphed back into his normal sneer when she started crying.

"But he never really recovered from having to deliver a child. Took him months to be able to look at me again."

"Snape delivered a child. What a crazy world." There was a small laugh, then Harry was serious again.

"If you want I can look into it. See if she's still alive here."

"Don't Harry. Let sleeping dogs lie. I don't even know her surname. I guess I just miss Severus a lot. I can't get my head around the fact that he's dead."

"If you want we can visit his grave." he offered and got a smile in response.

"I would love to. Thank you."

Maybe it wasn't the best moment to bring the topic up but sometimes Harry spoke first and thought later.

"What I can't get my head around is this aversion you have for Ron. Did something happen between the two of you?"

The way Hermione closed down and her smile vanished from her face Harry knew he wouldn't get the answer he was hoping for.

"He's just Ron. You know he doesn't react well under pressure. I forgave him for the stunt he pulled on us in the woods, but for me that wasn't the only time he left me. I love him Harry, but the trust was lost long ago. I'll take time to come to term with this new Ron. It's easier with you, since we only need to catch up. "

"You'll need to come to work soon too Hermione, to catch up." Harry reminded her, but she shook her head.

"I stand by my decision Harry, just as I told Ron. I'm sure he told you about his visit. This job isn't for me. I'll resign as soon as the papers arrive. The Ministry is already informed, but I'm sure keeps it under wraps until it's official with all signatures."

They remained silent afterwards, both lost in their thoughts. Harry tried to understand what this version of his friend had been through. He had taken the last few days to mull over what she told them the first evening they had met and tried not to judge her. With what he knew now he was glad he had given her the possibility to explain it to him.

Still his conscience was nagging at him, telling him it was his fault. He hadn't kept his son from the bad influence around him. While he wanted to continue to blame it all in his son's best friend he knew it wasn't fair. Draco had asked him to help them years ago and he had denied his old school nemesis something that could have been easily given. He was the one who drove his son away. Harry wasn't yet ready to accept it, but deep down he knew, it was his fault. His fault Cedric Diggory and Severus Snape died, his fault his son felt unloved, his fault Ron lost his wife.

Hermione bid her farewell while Harry was still lost in thoughts and apparated back to Hogsmeade. She needed to be alone to get her feelings under control again. She didn't want her friend to see how upset she really was.

* * *

 **I'm late. But I'm in London! I'll have fun and let you guys read and comment. Maybe there'll be some things waiting for me after my holiday. :)**


	13. Dinner at Weasley's

**Chapter 13 – Dinner at Weasley's**

It was the normal family dinner at Weasley's as every Friday. The younger kids were at school and the graduated had joined them, sitting on their end of the table. After having been rebuilt, the Burrow hadn't lost his old charm, Molly had made sure of it. Maybe it needed a bit less magic to stand and wasn't a strange mix from the outside anymore, but the inside was still cluttered and welcoming. There was place for every member of their big family, by blood or adopted, no matter who came over.

Still, today was different in many aspects. Ron sat alone –Hermione's place was deserted– and didn't look at his family at all, while Teddy tried to cheer him up, not yet knowing that something had happened. Harry and Ginny watched the youngest brother with concern and were also rather quiet.

Teddy and Victoire's wedding had been the main topic for the last few weeks and Molly was thrilled to see it happening next Easter. They had chosen the holidays to have everyone at home on their special day. The wedding would take place outside the Burrow, Fleur had made sure of it. She wanted her daughter to have the dream wedding the Death Eaters had denied her over twenty years ago.

"I haven't seen Hermione at all since last week Ron. There were some nasty rumours in the daily prophet the last few days. Apparently she missed some important parliament sessions. Please make sure she doesn't overwork herself." Molly directed at her brooding son.

Family came first in her opinion and Ron and Hermione had drifted to far apart the last few years. She respected her daughter-in-law for her decision to work at the Ministry. There was a certain pride when she told others that the Minister of Magic was part of her family after all. But they needed to work together, so she reminded her youngest son from time to time. Mostly he just agreed with a nod and that was it, but today his pain-filled gaze met her eyes.

"Maybe you should talk to Harry if you want any answers mum. Since it was his son who decided to make sure that Hermione would finally divorce me, as our lovely daughter put it. Together with that spawn of a ferret he calls his best friend they successfully destroyed what was left of my marriage. Obviously it wasn't that much!"

Ron slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He stalked out of the room and there was a loud crack when he disapparated outside. Everyone at the table was shocked to silence.

"How dare he!" Ginny was the first to break the quiet. Her red hair crackled around her head. She knew where Ron had gone and was hot on his heals, when Harry grabbed her hand and held her back. Ron had hit home with his sharp and hurtful comment and Harry felt the responsibility weigh him down again. He hadn't talked to Ginny about it yet, dodging the conversation at every turn since the evening he had spend with Hermione. Ginny had found him still sitting at the table that evening when she came home, but he hadn't even welcomed her.

"Give him some time Ginny." he whispered shaking his head. Molly watched the interaction altered. Something bad had happened and she wanted to know what. No one hurt her family.

"What does this mean?" she asked and tried to hold back her own anger. Her daughter and herself were very alike in that aspect.

Harry knew he had to explain but he didn't want anyone to know about the time turner. The Ministry would have his head if it got out. There were to many people at the table to tell the truth and what had happened to make Hermione decide on a divorce wasn't his story to tell. He groaned and stayed as close to the truth as he could.

"Albus and Scorpius botched a few things up at school last week. Hermione tried to help them but Ron reacted badly. They had a screaming match at school that ended in Hermione declaring she had enough and would divorce Ron. To be true it was Rose that started the talk about divorce and Hermione simply went with it. You know Hermione, once she's set on a path she goes through with it. Ron had the papers on his table yesterday."

The kids looked at each other and gulped. Maybe their aunt and uncle were fighting a lot but in their eyes they belonged to each other. They had never thought about them splitting up or what it would mean for the family.

"Hermione stays at Hogwarts for now and decided to step down from her tenure." Harry explained to the whole table and looked at his wife for reassurance. Their hands were still linked.

"It must have hurt her a lot, I haven't seen her at the ministry at all." Percy worked close to Hermione and had already wondered what could have happened to his superior. His co-workers had asked him too but he had only avoided them, not able to answer the questions about his sister-in-law.

"But she fought for it for years !" Molly argued, not believing what she heard.

"She would never give up on her job, even less on Ron!" There were tears in Molly's eyes. She needed to talk to her son, he had to do something. Hermione was a woman of logic, she would relent. Her son only had to apologize honestly, even if he was unapologetic at the moment. Little did she know that in his anger Ron had signed these papers and sent them back to the Ministry the moment he had apparated home.

The rest of the dinner was a grave affair. Nobody talked much, while both Molly and Ginny were seething on their own. Harry was lost in his own thoughts and the kids felt uneasy with what had just passed.

* * *

 **I had a really great time at London and I saw so much. So I'm late but I can't say I'm too sorry.**

 **This time we finally meet Molly. For me she was the hardest to write up to now.**

 **I got told Hermione was "occ trash" a few days ago. Harsh words, but in the end I'm kind of happy, because that anonym person showed me that the way Hermione acts is strange, which is what I went for. Did I want to go for trash? No! I'm sad someone feels like that, but at the same time I don't like every fanfiction out there.**

 **For me it means I'll spend more time with the chapter that explains what happened, because I hope to make it understandable. Until next time :)**

 **You like something, want to read more about someone, hated how I portray a certain character? Review and let me know.**


	14. Hugo, the forgotten boy

**Chapter 14 – Hugo, the forgotten boy**

Hermione smiled when she saw Scorpius and Albus entering the library together. The last looked rather unhappy as they sat down after gathering some books. Hermione couldn't see what they were working on, but by the shelves she had seen them at, she would guess it was History of Magic. It was the first time she saw them since the accident a little less than a week earlier. It was hard for her to believe it wasn't even two week since she ended up in this timeline. It felt like a lifetime while it went by in the blink of an eye.

She had gotten an Howler from Molly during the weekend and a short letter from Ginny too. While hearing Molly's voice had made her cry more than the accusations, Ginny's letter was one she held dear. They hadn't seen each other when she visited Harry last week, and they hadn't talked much at the Headmistress' office. So it felt even more special that her best friend came to her defence before they got to know each other. Some things never changed and Hermione was glad to know that her friendship with Ginny Weasley was one of them. She had written back right away and was hoping to get an answer soon.

Molly's sermon on putting family first had hurt her more than anything else, because for Hermione it was the reason of the divorce. It would be hard to explain to the older woman, for she surmised that whoever explained the situation to the matriarch had left out everything about the time travel.

Nonetheless, she believed that she could explain everything to Molly after she had cooled down. Remembering what Harry had told her about Fred's death, she was sure the other mother would understand her.

After leaving her daughter Rose in her room alone a few days ago, she hadn't seen her again. Hermione knew she had been harsh on the child, but hearing her talk about Scorpius had triggered the mother in her. Afterwards, when she remembered that she was Rose's mother too she had felt bad for snapping at the girl. Still she meant what she told her and Hermione had always voiced her opinion loud and clear. Her whole life she had always rubbed someone else the wrong way, but she had never regretted living that way. Rose would either come around or not, it was her own decision.

Her son, Hugo she believed was his name, was also in the library from time to time, if the brown haired small boy was who she believed him to be. He never approached her and it was only after his friend had called out for him a little too loud that she'd known it was her boy, remembering Ron telling her the same name. He was a sweet and hardworking small first year, reminding her of herself a lot. He sat alone in a corner of the library most of the time, poring over books, but she had seen his friends fetching him from time to time so she knew he was fine.

She had promised herself she would be there for them and would get to know them if they wanted to, but she wouldn't burden them with the mess her life was if they stayed away.

XxX

Scorpius looked at Mrs. Granger-Weasley while she was lost in her thoughts. He was uncertain of how to react towards her. He knew she remembered him growing up, teaching him and taking care of him, but it wasn't him. Still he had felt safe with her, trusted her instantly and simply knew she would do anything for him. But talking to her would let others see that something was off, and he was a Slytherin.

He hadn't had the courage to visit her quarters yet, but had known where they were located for a few days already. He had also received a letter from his father to arrange a meeting between him and Mrs. Granger. Scorpius had nearly laughed when he had seen his father call her by her maiden name. Maybe there was some chemistry after all. His grandfather would be pissed off if they hooked up, but Scorpius kept his fingers crossed for Hermione. If he could wish for a second mother, it would be a woman as sweet and loving as her, just maybe not with as much emotional burden.

He knew he would need to talk to her soon, but not here and now while Hugo, hidden between bookshelves, watched his mother's every move. He had seen the hurt on the boy's face when Mrs Granger-Weasley had greeted him with a smile, but ignored her own son.

He felt sorry for the small first year and hadn't he been in Slytherin he might have taken him under his wing to explain everything. But given the bad reputation Scorpius had, even in his own house, he stayed away from the others, especially those of the other houses.

XxX

"I want you to find out why the boy isn't answering Crow. I had to write another letter today and was ignored again!" Delphi announced when the dark man entered the room. His clothes and the bad light hid him well but he was dripping wet, indicating he came from outside, where a downpour made the world look dark and gloomy. It wasn't cold enough here to make it snow even thought November had just begun.

"Sure." the answer was barley audible, but she heard it anyway, giving a curd nod when she picked up her cutlery and continued eating. She already knew he wouldn't stay now that she had given an order. A soft klick announced his departure and Delphi was pleased to know she would have her answer soon.

Since she had met Crow all these years ago, he was the only person she'd grown to trust enough to send him out to do her dirty work. As a Death Eater's child, his childhood had been spent in the very same hellhole they had thrown her in. He'd never learned more than the basic magic because they were afraid of him. An outcast between the outcast, he was beaten up and locked in when she found him. He was a little older than her and with her help was a skilled wizard now. She would dispose of him once this mission was done, since he knew too much, but it won't matter once her parents get back.

* * *

 **We are back on track, and my poor beta Eva finally has more than a few hours time to look over what I send her. I'm really lucky to have a hard working woman like her beside me. She sometimes works until deep into the night to make all this possible.**

 **Since I started this story I noticed how important every single one of you out there is. You read what we autors give you and offer us new ideas, sometimes without knowing, and your critic to make us better. This is my first series, and I wrote around 15 000 words before I even started publishing it, and now I there are nearly 30 000 word in that document. The characters really come alive in my head.**

 **Thank you for reading my story!**


	15. Bad news

**Chapter 15 – Bad news**

The sunset was beautiful. The sky was coloured of light blue with a few clouds that reflected the setting sun in various shades from bright yellow to deep purple.

In a tree in the Courtyard sat a single black crow nobody was noticing. It wasn't a rare occurrence by any standard to see one near Hogwarts. Maybe it was a little closer to humans than a normal crow would feel safe to be, and maybe it was a bit strange to see it alone, but it didn't attract attention.

The Crow wasn't interested in the beauty of the sunset behind him, he didn't even notice it. He was on the qui vive for two stupid teenager boys, listening to the chatter between students to gain any helpful informations. He couldn't enter Hogwarts while it was still bright but he had no problem watching.

He waited until deep into the night, and only then, moved for the first time that. Flying to the ground he noticed a motion out of the corner of his eye, nearly a second to late. Still hidden in his animagus form, he turned towards a tall brunette woman. She smiled at him and placed a few nuts and meat on the ground before she vanished as fast as she had come, without a word. Rigid and still, he waited to see if she was gone for good before he looked at her offering and picked it up with his beak, sceptical. He was hungry and there was no reason for this food to go to waste if it wasn't poisoned, but he looked at it longer than a few seconds, until he decided it was fine and ate it.

He didn't transform back into his human body that night to explore Hogwarts, as the risk was to high after someone had noticed his animal form. A normal crow wouldn't fly away at night so all he could do was to stay and continue watching and listening. The boys would need to cross the Courtyard sooner or later.

XxX

"She's bad news Alb, can't you see?" Scorpius plead with his friend again but Albus just shook his head. They both knew the argument would continue forever because they were both too stubborn. Scorpius stood up with the swift grace his father had thought him since he was a small boy and vanished into the bathroom. Albus grabbed his blanket and went to sleep, tired from arguing with his best friend again and again, holding the letter he had received earlier today close his chest, the one that had restarted the whole arguing.

In the bathroom, Scorpius decided, while brushing his teeth, that he would do as planed and talk to Miss Granger tomorrow before breakfast. After the second letter from his father had come in, he had started to call her by her maiden name in his head, like his father did. He wanted to accomplish something and Albus was a lost cause for now. He wouldn't give up of course, but it was the smartest move to retreat for now. He needed to show it to Albus, else he would never see his point.

XxX

Scorpius hurried through Hogwarts early in the morning while most of his peers were deep asleep in their beds and the only thing alive in the old castle were the birds and maybe a pet or two. He hoped Miss Granger was awake yet when he knocked at her door.

When the knock sounded, Hermione rubbed her tired eyes and stood up. She took a few seconds to collect herself and cast a Glamour on her global appearance to erase the tiredness on her face. Whoever was at her door didn't need to know she hadn't slept most of the night and had rather hovered over a book she had acquired the day before. After all these years, it was still her safe haven if she was feeling insecure. And if she didn't know everything about something she needed, she was always feeling insecure. She liked to have all the facts to make a decision. There were rarely things she decided on a gut feeling like Ron and Harry always did it. Things like quitting her job as Minister of Magic or divorcing her husband.

She winced when she remembered just how many of her decisions the last few days had been made without having all facts, even if she didn't regret them. So she had done the thing she always did and buried herself in books since she came here and had access to the library.

She knew the history of the last twenty years by heart now and had also read up on Ginny's publications. She knew how every single child born to her friends and family was called and how she managed to make her way towards Minister of Magic. What she didn't know was why she was so emotional all the time or how she could right the wrong that was done by coming here and replacing the woman who had lived those years.

Opening the door she looked into a well known face and a smile spread on her tired face.

"Scorpius." she greeted him and wanted to hug him but remembered just a few seconds later that he wasn't her son in this world. Straightening herself, she stepped aside and suggested him to come inside.

The room wasn't what he had expected it to be but the mismatched colours that greeted him were soothing and the room looked like home. Still, he had never in his life seen different shades of green, yellow and brown mixed together like this.

"Thank you for letting me in Miss Granger. I'm sorry to disturb you this early." he bowed before her, acting like the gentleman his parents had tried to bring him up to be.

* * *

 **The weekend is nearly over, but school started last week again so Eva needed the weekend to vanish my mistakes ;)**

 **Might switch to publish on sudays to give her time, because I remember school to be a pain in the ass. Lucky I haven't been there for years.**


	16. The letter

**Chapter 16 – The** **letter**

Albus checked the letter he wanted to send to Delphi again. He had finally gathered the courage the answer her. Her last letter had made him feel so guilty for ignoring her. He knew Scorpius was against the idea of writing back, they had discussed it more than once, but he was sure his friend was only jealous he had a girl while Rose ignored him. He felt good finally having someone like her. She trusted him, believed in him and he was sure she would understand it wasn't his fault.

Within his family, he was an outsider. His mom loved him, he was sure, but she wasn't someone he talked to a lot. His father was a hero everyone looked up to, but was to caught up in the past to understand him. All the old man ever talked about was himself. James and Lily were close and since joining Hogwarts, it looked like they had forgotten about their third sibling.

He had only one friend, and his father hated Scorpius, always telling him to search for new friends, so they could never spend any time with together outside of school, and now it looked like even Scorpius was against him.

When he woke up, Scorpius was gone and hadn't even left a note behind. Asking his two other roommates they had sneered at him and told him to mind his own business. They never cared to much for sharing a room with him and Scorp. Sometimes he wondered how it would feel to be a real Slytherin. All the other Slytherins banded together so tight they were like a family. If someone of another house, like his brother and friends, played a prank on them they repayed it fully. Be it a small first year or the Quidditch Captain didn't matter, no one was allowed to harm a fellow Slytherin.

That was beside him or Scorp. Rumoured to be the spawn of ultimate devil, Scorpius was hated even more in his own house than Albus, the changeling of the Gryffindor hero. Both of them learned early on how to stay out of everyone's way.

To have Delphi by his side made everything endurable. He told her he couldn't meet her at the moment because he had some problems at school, but told her not to worry. He would contact her as soon as it was possible. He knew better than to write anything of importance into his letter. Now he only had to go to the Owlery before breakfast and send it and he knew he would feel better. The guilt he had felt over ignoring her would finally be gone and until they meet again, he would certainly find a way to explain everything.

XxX

Watching the boy hurrying towards the Owlery, Crow followed him in the air. Once he had made sure the letter was addressed to Delphi, his job here was done. He hadn't thought it would be this easy, but all the better.

There were to many people gathered at this school for his liking. He liked his solitude and the silence that came with it. While he didn't care if he stayed in his human or his animagus form, he liked to eat his food cooked. To many times rats and bugs had been all he ever got to eat while he was a child.

Watching from a safe distance, Crow saw the boy giving the letter to a school owl, not his own, and telling it to fly towards Delphi. Satisfied, he followed the owl towards the only house and person he had ever called a home.

XxX

Scorpius left Hermione's rooms shortly before the lessons started. They had eaten a small breakfast together and talked a bit.

He had been polite, acted like an adult, but had never taken her up on her offer to call her by her first name.

She hadn't found out much about his life here, as he had evaded most of her questions and tried to get her to talk about herself more. She hadn't known what he had been up to until he had passed on his father's invitation. If one wanted to call in an invitation and not a summon.

He had asked her to send an owl with a date she would be able to meet his father to him so he could refer it.

It was just like Draco. Never asking himself, but getting others to do his bidding, even his own son. Like that he never had to deal with rejection, because his messenger made sure he got what he wanted.

She had noticed more than once that Scorpius had wanted to ask a question but thought better of it. Trying to pry it from him hadn't worked at all and she hated to see the sad smile he send her every time she had tried. He should be happy in this world. Even if he didn't know her and would never see her as a motherly figure, she still wanted the best for him.

As for meeting Draco it was a welcomed opportunity. Knowing she would be able to see him again was something she hadn't hoped for the last four years. Not after Severus had told her of Lucius' actions.

When she first heard that Bellatrix was dead she had been relieved beyond measure, just to find out that the second figure of her nightmares was still very much alive and roamed the world freely. Reading about him in the Daily Prophet had given her the chill, but she was determined to stay far away from him. As far as she was concerned they would never need to meet again, because she didn't know what she would do if he said or did the wrong thing in her presence.

Instead of writing to Scorpius for Draco she sat down to answer Ginny's newest letter. Before she did anything else, she wanted to meet her old friend. Setting up a date in Diagon Alley, she hoped it would help her to sort her thoughts.

* * *

 **It's sunday, and just like I announced we moved the update date permanently. Now I have two more days to overthing my own stuff and poor Eva spends her weekend making it readable :D**


	17. Herbology

**Chapter 17 - Herbology**

"So you are still alive?" Albus asked Scorpius when he slid into his seat just seconds before Professor Longbottom entered the room.

"Sorry Alb, I had to clear my head this morning." he whispered but shut up when he saw the Professor look their way. They had learned not to mess up with the head of Gryffindor House.

"Today we will continue with the Bubotuber Plant. Everyone please get your gloves. Nobody needs boils today, trust me they hurt." Professor Longbottom said with a smile and watched his students get their dragon-hide gloves.

"Last lesson we covered the properties of the plant and how to use it, today we will harvest the Bubotuber pus."

Albus looked at the swelling of the plant before him with disgust. It looked like an oversized pimple filled with a greenish liquid. With the bottle between him and the plant he started to squeeze the swelling and caught the liquid coming out.

"Uhh, this smells like a petrol station!" a Ravenclaw student not far from them complained in disgust.

"We wouldn't know, mugglelover." Pamela, one of the other Slytherin girls crackled, but shrieked when she got some of the liquid on her uniform because she had squeezed to hard while laughing.

"Get it off me." she shouted towards the girl next to her, but Professor Longbottom was already beside her.

"Nothing hit your skin, just a little stain on the clothes." he commented after checking her out. "That should teach you not to make fun of your classmates."

Pamela glared at their Professor, but knew better than to talk back. She took her wand and preformed a vanishing spell now that she had calmed down.

Scorpius snickered next to Albus but tried to hide it.

"Imagine her with a pimple as big as the one of the plant on her face."

The boys both laughed but sobered when Professor Longbottom went to stand behind them. They kept quiet for the rest of the lesson, but Albus was relieved to see that Scorpius was in a good mood again. Maybe he could tell his friend about the letter he sent later without another argument.

XxX

"I told you to find out what's going on Crow!" Delphi shouted when he entered the room. She held the letter in her hand while the owl that had delivered it was trying to get away, but she had closed the window. Her silvery hair was in a tight plait and the black clothes she wore clung to her frame. If it wasn't for her blue tips she could have been a black-and-white image. Even her midnight black tattoo matched the perception. She was a beautiful and scary woman in her rage.

When he didn't say anything she continued.

"There is nothing in this letter. Only something about problems little kids have. Problems I don't care about. He's to do what he's told, not whining about his perfect life with his perfect parents."

Suddenly she went quiet and closed her eyes. She always did when she tried to gain her calmness back.

"I need you out there Crow. You have been by my side for half my life and you know how important this is for me. I need you to watch them and come back once you know why he didn't use the time turner." Her eyes were ablaze with hatred and she was still shaking in rage, but her voice was icy and controlled.

It was frightening to watch her and Crow had learned not to talk at all if she was in this state of mind. Nodding, he vanished through the door he had come from and made his way back to the trees of Hogwarts. He would need to get closer to the boys than before to listen into their conversations. Plans were to be made and he had a long flight ahead of him to make them. Changing back into the body of a crow he left the estate back towards the cold Scottish highlands.

XxX

Molly sat on her table at the Burrow, lost in thoughts. The plates were washing themselves with magic behind her and no hand on the clock except her own pointed at home. There were many hands on the clock now and on most days it made Molly smile just to look at them all. That very special piece of magic her brothers had given to her was, after all, her most treasured possession. But not even the switching hands on her clock lifted her mood today.

In her hands she held a letter from her youngest son who cancelled her invitation yet again. She knew from George that Ron wasn't doing well and had wanted to give her son a way to talk to her. She was already half out of her mind with worry and not far from ambushing him at work again, but somehow he had always vanished when she entered the shop.

Getting a hold on her daughter-in-law was just as bad. Since her howler she hadn't heard from Hermione and Ginny wasn't talking after Molly had so obviously taken Ron's side without knowing what was going on.

After all these years Molly knew she couldn't dictate her children's lives but she was a firm believer that a lecture or two could help a matter. That she couldn't get a hold of Ron or Hermione left her unsettled. She hadn't wanted to drive them away from her or the family. It would be Christmas soon and her family needed to be fixed then. She couldn't have them missing on such an important celebration. She knew it wouldn't just break her own heart, but the children's too. Standing up she shook herself out of her lethargic state and went to get her knitting needles. There were still many sweaters to be finished. She wouldn't give up seeing her family happy again. Tomorrow she would floo over Ginny's again and find out where Hermione was.

* * *

 **Hermione was supposed to meet up with Draco, like two thousend words ago. I don't know why my characters keep interfering with my plans. So here we are, with a rather upset Molly and poor Draco still waiting for his answers.**


	18. Hermione's plan

**Chapter 18 - Hermione's plan**

"Ginny?" Harry called out when he hung his coat at their hall stand. He had made it home in time for dinner for the first time this week, and wanted to spend a comfy evening with his wife. Walking towards the kitchen, he heard her voice.

"I can't and won't help you mom. Give them some space and time and they'll reach out to you. You know they love you."

"Don't you tell me what to do young lady. They are my family and it's nearly Christmas." Molly's voice was strained and Harry took a deep breath before he entered the kitchen.

"Molly" He greeted her with a smile and went to hug her.

"Harry, my boy, how are you?" Her smile lit up her face when she saw him. It warmed him every time he saw his mother-in-law, and how happy she was seeing him. Even after all these years, it made him feel as warm and as welcome as the first time he entered the Burrow.

"I'm fine." He answered, when she put her hands on both sides of his face and looked into his eyes.

"Good, good. I need your help with Ginny. She won't tell where I can find Hermione. I'm so worried. I know I overreacted without knowing the full story, but neither her nor Ron are talking to me. How is a mother supposed to help?" She patted his cheeks and turned her body so she could look at her daughter with a glare.

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"I have to back up Ginny here, I'm sorry Molly. Give them some time to come to term with what happened. Even I don't know most of it and can not tell you what I know, in fear of making it worse. I'm just as worried as you are, trust me. I only saw Hermione once and Ron twice since everything went down the hill."

Harry and Ginny could see that Molly wasn't sure if she was to cry or scream. It was hard to see the lively woman hagridden like this. She was what held their family tight together with her love, no matter what happened. Like this, they could see that she had gotten older. Even if wizards lived easily to be over hundred, there were more and more wrinkles in her face and her hair had more and more grey highlights.

"If they don't settle everything for Christmas, we need a dotting grandmother to tend to Rose and Hugo's, mom. They'll need you smiling." Ginny tried to shift her mother'ss focus. When her mother turned around to her, Harry send his wife a smile of gratitude. They both knew Molly would do anything for her grandchildren, even forget to scold their parents for some time.

Hours later, when they had eaten dinner and Molly had left for home, Harry gathered Ginny in his arms and kissed her hair.

"I'm home on time for once and still can't spend a private evening with you."

"Thanks for coming when you did. I love mom, but she drives me crazy sometimes." Ginny snuggled into him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I love you."

"Even with all the shit that happens because of me? You are a strong woman Mrs Potter. What would I do without you."

Ginny tensed up in his arms, but sighed instead of exploding like she would have done as a young woman. "Not everything happens because of you. Dial down your ego, Mr Potter "

They laughed together and kept standing like they were some more, each lost in their thoughts.

XxX

*Two weeks later*

Everything was set into motion for Hermione's visit to Malfoy Manor. She had drunken a valour potion she had brewed in her room over the last days and her clothes looked perfect. The uneasy feeling and the nagging voice telling her she was deceiving him since she send her letter to meet him were put in a place far away from her brain.

She had decided on robes in a dark green with some gold highlights. The gold embroidery had been done by herself. She had learned the skills from a book for Aquila a few years back. A way to give her girl something more than boring clothes and at the same time protect her.

Her robes spotted a night sky of stars. The constellation Draco had been named after hovered over her heart. On the right bottom Scorpius' and next to his on the left side Aquila's constellations could be seen. It was an exact replica of the southern summer sky at night. Hermione had spend many hours finishing the robes to have her dear ones always near her. It was also the first time she had made such fine clothes for herself and not her daughter. It felt like a safety blanket was wrapped around her.

While the torture she had endured at the Manor was only a distant foggy memory, most of the time she still did have nightmares featuring Bellatrix. They were about the things they did to Draco or what could happen to her kids if Bellatrix ever found them. She scolded herself for getting lost in bad thoughts and squared her shoulders. Bellatrix was dead, she couldn't harm her dear ones anymore. This thought was an endless loop in her head to keep her from having a panic attak.

In her hand she carried a bottle of Elf-made wine she had bought on her shopping trip with Ginny. Her friend had looked at her strangely but hadn't commented. Maybe she was afraid Hermione knew no other way to help herself but drink her problems away.

The day they had spend together in Diagon Alley and later in the Muggle London had been strange but a balm for Hermione. At the beginning they had some trouble to find a safe topic to talk about, but soon Ginny had simply talked about her life and Hermione had been happy to listen.

Her friend hadn't asked her any questions and given her room to get to know her again. Ginny was way more settled that she remembered her.

She still had a temper to behold, but like Molly, she had learned to keep it down until something that really matter happened. All day Hermione had waited for Ginny to scold her and wash her head over what she had done to Ron, but Ginny had bitten her tongue and taken her own advise. She could wait until Hermione talked to her freely.

* * *

 **Finally we are at the more romantic part.**

 **I tried to show just how hard everything was on Hermione and everyone around her until now, but I'm no expert on ptsd, if you want to know more about it I recommend to google it.**

 **A member of my family has been in Afganistan with the army and I used some of the experiences he told me about when he was back home. It isn't easy to adjust back into normal life.**


	19. A ring and a locket

**Chapter 19 – A ring and a locket**

Hermione grabbed some Floo Powder and thanked McGonagall in silence for connecting her fireplace without any questions asked. The spinning filled her with nausea after using this methode of travel for the first time in years. When it finally stopped she needed a second to find her footing.

Draco waited for her in a sitting room. It was a small room considering the sheer size of the whole Manor, yet it would have been able to hold a whole party, if one intended to.

There were some comfy chairs arranged around the fireplace, which made it unlikely for this to be the normal room visitors would enter through. Still it was the room Hermione found herself in after leaving the Floo.

They stared at each other for a few moments, until Hermione cleared her throat and looked around, unsure.

"This is a nice room. Not what I expected."

"I didn't think you would want to see **that** room again. I'm not a complete asshole. I changed the Floo connection for today." Draco answered her question with a drawl and pointed at a chair for her to settle. She nodded her agreement and handed the bottle in her hand over to him with a smile.

"Didn't you fight for the rights of house elves for years Granger?" Draco commented her choice of wine but got two glasses from a nearby cabinet and poured them both.

"They get paid if I buy one, so it's fair, isn't it ?" was Hermione's dry answer. She remembered S.P.E.W. and it made her smile thinking about it, but with years of war between now and then it wasn't something she had her mind set on like she had back in school. Anyway it was good to know that she had continued her efforts in a world without war, though. She would have to look it up and see if she could still take care of that part of this Hermione's life. Sipping from the glass Draco handed her, she smiled at his big gulp, knowing it wasn't ordinary wine as he thought.

She looked around the room, noticing it was a private part of the Mansion. There were a few things to show off and it had a snug vintage feel to it with the dark wood and a few silver and green accents.

Draco's fixed his blank stare on the ring on her hand, just like a few weeks before. He had talked himself into believing it hadn't been real, but now he saw it again on her finger. The same ring that was buried with his wife in a tomb not far away from the Manor. He took a large slug before addressing Hermione again.

„So how did that happen? Me marrying you? I can't phantom how we should grow to stand each other, let alone have sex." he asked after putting the glass down. She inclined her head thinking about her answer. Her finger tapped against the handle in a steady rhythm, producing a clicking when the ring met the glass. Even with the potion in her system she still felt nervous.

„I didn't marry you. I married him and I did it because I loved him. He was my best friend long before we married Malfoy."

„And Weasel?" he was curious and the wine made it easier to be daring. For him Hermione had always been off-limits. First because his father would have killed him, then because he loved his wife and now because she was married.

„Dead. Not that he was sad about that. He called him a dunderhead often enough when he was still alive. Picked that up from Severus I guess. Aquila, too, loved that word." not the full truth, but Hermione knew she had shifted his focus by mentioning their daughter. They both knew the whole meeting was only about their daughter. For him it was the scepsis and maybe a longing for more than his solitude life. For her it was a strong believe she could have some kind of connection to him and she needed him for her plan. Her nightmares kept her awake most nights and she had to use glamours whenever she left her room. She had rarely eaten or slept since she had decided on the road she was about to walk down, her main focus on studying for her DADA Master to keep her thoughts from wandering.

She knew something was off and so Hermione had tried to find a solution. After some research she had bought some books on PTSD in muggle London confirming her hunch. Therapy was highly recommended, just like talking about it. One of the doctors also wrote about trying to find a solution by exposing oneself to the same situations. It was a shock treatment he only recommended for smaller cases of PTSD and never without supervision. Hermione knew the path she had chosen wasn't what the doctor had in mind, but for now it looked like the best choice to make. Her mind tried to drift into chaos whenever she wasn't on high altered and with the bit of sleep she got it wasn't getting easier.

At least she was able to eat again since she had decided to meet up with Draco. Her appetite was finally big enough to gain some weight back to have a womanly body again. She had hated to look at the skeleton she had become in the mirror. Back in their hideout there hadn't been any mirrors or time to worry about petty things like appearance. Life was about survival and the wellbeing of her children.

„Hard to believe I had a daughter with you." Draco interrupted her mussing.

She sighed, he finally voiced his doubt. He had never been a trusting man, something that hadn't changed. Since she came here she noticed that a lot of things were simply a persons character and others were based on circumstances.

„If you ever tell a soul I showed this to you before anyone else I will make sure you regret it. You know I can." She let the threat hang in the air and smiled when she saw his realisation that she would stay true to it. Maybe he did remember the last time she had punched him.  
She opened the locket that hung around her neck and showed it to him after hesitating for a few moments. He noticed she didn't look at it herself.

There were two pictures inside. One of him and Scorpius standing on either side of a seated Hermione. In the picture he smiled at his son first and then down at Hermione. His smile changed slightly at that point. Nothing he would have picked up if it hadn't been himself. He looked at her like he often saw couples deeply in love look at each other. It was disturbing. He frowned and noticed that while he was able to tell it was him, he looked different. Less arrogant, older and worn out. From what she had told them, and based on Scorpius' age in the picture, he couldn't have been much older than thirty when it was taken.

The second picture was the one that left him speechless. There was a small girl sitting on Hermione's lap. She giggled at something that Scorpius next to her said. Now it was Hermione that looked old beyond her years and worn out. She still smiled at the little girl, but it wasn't as big as the one he had seen in the first picture. More of a small sincere smile that took a lot of energy to produce.

„So back to my first question. How did I come to marry you Granger?" he asked in a raspy voice after clearing the throat. The woman opposite of him got up from her chair and walked over to him, sitting down on his armrest.

* * *

 **Finally we are here.**


	20. A seductress

**Chapter 20 – A seductress**

Hermione's hand trailed Draco's jaw towards his chin, where she gently rasped him with her nails. A shiver ran down his spine but he kept his face emotionless.

„What are you trying to prove with that Granger?" he literally spat the words in her face. She didn't answer in words but there was a mischievous smile in her face and she simply look down towards his tight cloth trousers. When she looked at him again she questioningly raised her eyebrow and removed her hand again.

„Nothing." she took the locket out of his hands and moved back to her own chair. She wasn't sure why she had done it herself, but was sure now that the valour potion worked, maybe a bit to well. Again she had to remind herself this wasn't the man she loved and married, even if it was Draco. The reality was harsh and unwelcome, but reality nonetheless. Some deep breaths kept her from spiralling down the path into the misery she knew would be waiting for her once the knowledge really sunk in.

„Tease!" he growled and tried to get comfortable within his now tight trousers. She knew how to turn him on without really touching him and made him rethink everything he knew about the Gryffindor Princess. This woman truly wasn't Weasel's wife and that answered any further questions about how he was able to have a child with her. She was a seductress.

Draco groaned. His old school crush was crashing back over him and he couldn't help remembering how he had kept trying to get her attention with insults. If he was to be honest with himself it wasn't that deceptive that they had ended up in bed after gaining common ground. He was jealous of the man she had come to love. For all his life he wanted his existence to have some meaning. Something more than the pureblood lifeline he was told to live. He had worked hard to overcome most of it and showed his son that he was loved, but he still lacked. He just needed to see the Potter and Weasley's interaction with their own kids to know. The longing in Scorpius eyes, it hurt him deeply, especially now that his wife was dead. But how could he help, with no idea of how to fix it? To see Granger defend his son like she would any of her own had made his heart skip a beat. And to have her admit that she loved a men that was him, even if not quite him, gave him hope.

„You didn't marry me, my husband did. And while there are some characteristics you share, there is no doubt in my mind, you aren't him." Hermione interrupted his thoughts. A small little white lie, since she wasn't beyond hope that he could be. Her voice was not really cold but it wasn't friendly either, a mechanism to keep the longing for him out of it.

„Characteristics I share with him?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked. After that little demonstration he would take any way into her pants he could get. Not while she was legally a Weasley, of course, but afterwards. He just needed to make sure he could stay there once he was successful.

„That smirk. He never lost it." She smiled sadly and her expression got that far away look. Her hands touched the pendant around her neck and suddenly she laughed.

„He would have whipped the floor with you, if he ever got the chance to meet you. You are so full of yourself and look way to much like your father with that long hair. He would have hated it. After everything Lucius did to him he would be unable to even look at you without being disgusted."

„But you aren't disgusted." Draco probed and smirked at her. Cutting his hair short again was just a small price he would gladly pay to get her to pay attention to his sad excuse of a life. His father would hate it, but after all these years maybe he needed to stop caring, to gain what he wanted.

„Like I said. You are alike in as much ways as you are opposed."

She offered another glass of wine to him while saying it. He gladly took it to make his head stop overthinking. Nothing would happen anyway, no matter what his head told him.

There was nothing wrong with just looking at her while she sat right in front of him. The robes she wore were made artfully and hugged her curves. Since he had seen her two weeks ago she had gained weight that was dearly needed. She looked fit now. Little did he know it was a charm she had woven around her.

"Are you wearing runes on your robes?" he suddenly asked out of the blue. There were hand-made embroideries all over her torso he had deemed normal motif at first until he had noticed her hand caressing over them.

"Something close to it yes. It makes me feel safe."

Her answer was cryptic but the longer he stared at them the more he felt like he should know what they meant.

* * *

 **We are finally at a turning point.**  
 **For one I made it to the more romantic part, for another I think that the way Hermione acts out her feelings shows how rattled she is after everything she was through.**  
 **I get told again and again how out of character she acts, but please always remember what a trauma means. This is my interpretation of it.**


	21. The dread of a wrong decision?

**Chapter 21 – The dread of a wrong decision?**

Draco's head was resting against the backrest and his eyes were closed when Hermione dropped down between his legs maybe minutes -or was it hours?- later.

"Are you still with me Draco?" she asked quietly and let her hands rest on his thighs. He looked equably, something she hadn't seen on her own Draco in years, if ever.

"Just a bit too much, give me a second." was his slightly slurred answer, when he opened his eyes and captured her gaze. There was a slight smile on his face that morphed into his significant smirk when he noticed just where she was sitting. His hand captured hers and placed it a little bit higher while he raised his eyebrow.

"Is it this you wanted? Just take it." he murmured and when she didn't protest, hauled her onto his lap. It was a bit uncoordinated and Hermione had to adjust herself, but she knew she had what she wanted.

"Lets see if you are pleased with our alikeness in bed too Granger." Draco whispered into her ear and nipped at her neck. She slowly opened his dress shirt from bottom to top and caressed his skin beneath.

"Your skin is like silk, so soft." she breathed while stroking his nipples. "No marks blemishing it. Just like a chaste boy." His hands wandered to her butt and gave the cheek a light squeeze, as if to object silently, while his mouth was on hers kissing her for the first time. She tasted like honey and wine to him.

There were no more words to be spoken, both of them busy ravishing. Sucking in breaths they looked at each other. Hermione got rid of her top and pressed her chest against his, closing her eyes and tried to push back the traitorous thought that this was the wrong man. With that, the last chance for him or her to say something passing, it was inevitable.

He was left with a desire so sharp it almost hurt when it kept pulsing under his skin after her kiss. His temptress left him surrounded by her. She put her hand over his and forced it against her beast, giving it a squeeze. Then she dragged her hand over his torso, across his flat stomach, down to his fly where his erection pressed against the fabric. She didn't press any further until he kissed her hard again and kneaded her breast with his hand. His second hand tangled itself into her curls and pressed her harder against him. Then she popped the button out of its hole and started to pull his dress pants off over his hips, which proved to be hard with her sitting on top. He hissed out a breath and dropped his head to her bosom wiggling around to make it easier for both of them. His mouth captured the tip of her nipple, suckling, startling Hermione into throwing her head back and moaning. Lust was burning between them, growing while they touched each other.

 _*Censored*_

Hermione awoke still straddling Draco. She knew she should go before he woke up, but he was beautiful, lying asleep on the couch, his body spend by their love-making. His long blond hair glowed in the early morning sun, all a tangle now and his eyes were hidden by the long sweep of his eyelashes. He was older, not a boy anymore for many years. His winkles looked good on him, still he looked so much younger asleep. She wanted to caress the stumbles on his jaw, but didn't want to risk waking him up. There had been many times she had done it to wake him up, before he had to vanish again, using the few hours they had at their fullest. It had been stolen hours, just like now. Hermione was sure she would regret what she had done last night later. At the moment she was so happy and content she couldn't imagine it. She knew that the potion in the wine had granted her wish. Still she had a lump in her throat, making it hard to swallow.

As silently as possible she got up and gathered her clothes from the floor.

At the door, she looked back at his sleeping form, whispering her apologies into the quiet room.

With a last longing look at him she vanished from his mansion with a few happy and a few sad tears in her eyes. Fear of what she had done was already crawling up her spine, while her logical mind was screaming at her: ''You know better, don't you?''

* * *

 **My beta Eva and me both fell ill last week. I hope the chapter is fine and you are all well.**

 **The censored part can be read on Archive of our own. Because of FF politics I'm not publishing the MA content here, I hope everyone understands.**


	22. Captain Wood!

**Chapter 22 – Captain Wood?!**

Ian Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Prefect and 5th year student, was nervous. He knew he was good-looking, with his long wide build, his roguish smile and his blond tousled hair. Still, asking out a girl that was known for her big mouth wasn't an easy thing. Yet there was no way back, he had a bet running with his best mate Alec Merrythought. Alec knew he had a small crush on the girl since she joined the Quidditch Team and bribed him into asking her with the bet. Ian wasn't sure yet if he should be happy or just angry with his friend. Maybe a mix of both, depending on her answer.

"Hey Rose, got a sec?" he let his voice carry across the Common Room when she entered and send a smile her way. Rose turned towards her raven haired friend and they whispered a few moments until she came over and sat down beside him. She wore her red curly hair open today and her brown eyes were fixed on him.

They were in the back of the room and the other students paid them no attention, thinking this was about the upcoming match against Ravenclaw.

Her cousin James watched them with his best friends Ralph and Jason but he knew they were only curious about the topic. Jason and James were also part of their team and to eager to miss anything that had to do with Quidditch. He bundled them off with a gesticulation, he didn't want any witnesses, should she turn him down.

"What's up, Cap?" she asked him. "Any concerns about the match you want to share?"

Struck by an sudden idea Ian decided to do things a bit differently.

"No. But would you consider going to Hogsmeade with me if I can catch the Snitch for you? Of course only if you are single."

He knew all about the best mate of her cousin Albus, hell the whole school knew how the boy tried to ask her out again and again. While she always blocked Scorpius attempts, Ian wasn't sure if there wasn't some deeper connection between them. Maybe it was their way of hiding their relationship, he wouldn't blame her. Most were still wary of anyone from the Slytherin House and relationships with 'one of them' were frowned on.

He hadn't had to worry, because while Rose looked at him, she decided that he might be her best way to show Scorpius that she didn't care for him. For her it was a softer way to let him know, than tell it to his face, like her mother told her to. For all her snappish comments, she didn't hate him, he was just to much for her taste most days. Also Ian Wood was a nice bloke, maybe a bit to focused on Quidditch sometimes, but Rose liked him just fine.

"Catch it and you've got a date." she stood up and saw his whole face lighten up. She couldn't help herself but smile back.

Flipping her hair she turned around and joined her friend Mara again. They vanished to the girls dormitories while Ian's gaze followed them.

Alec took her seat and saw the smile on his mate's face. He knew no questions needed to be asked to know her answer.

"Now you're happy I finally got you to ask her out, aren't you?" Alec smirked while he cosied up to the fireplace. It was a winter in Scotland after all, and he hated the cold more than anything else.

XxX

Professor Sprouse watched Saturn again. The new moon would be up on them tomorrow again, the second time since Saturn's light had flared. For more than a month she had spent every other night on top of the Astronomy Tower and watched the stars flicker.

Her Mastery was in Astronomy, but her old Dogon Master had made sure she was educated in the old ways of Divination too. She always told her about the harmony of things. Good and bad were reflected on the sky and couldn't exist without each other. Where there's light, shadows will form, just as day and night was a never ending circle.

Star charts could show even little differences if you wrote down the movements and intensity. Astrology was an art that took years to understand, but from time to time Professor Sprouse glimpsed parts of it. While she taught names and movements more than the meaning behind them, she knew there was more.

Over the last month she had watched the stars, wishing she could interpret the meaning behind this occurrence. Professor Trelawney wasn't a big help, something she found out within her first few days at Hogwarts. She still wondered how that ignorant woman was able to teach students. Maybe she had the third eye, but she didn't use it most of the time.

There were rumours about Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, that used the stars for divination but she wasn't foolish enough to enter it, after Professor Hagrid had advised against going near the Centaurs. She had asked him some time ago to speak to them on her behalf, but had no answer yet. They must have seen it too, but that didn't involve sharing it with a human.

It made her sad to have no way to contact her old Master, but she knew the rules. Once the apprenticeship was finished, the tribe moved on and she was not to contact them again. She had to seek any other knowledge she wanted in the world she lived in. She longed for someone to teach her more, show her more and help her with the anxiety she was feeling.

* * *

 **So my focus is back on the rest of the characters. What I disliked to most about the "8th" book was that so many characters were left out, but while I write this I start to understand. It's hard to write about so many different persons. I would love to show more of Molly, Harry and all the others. But this story is about Hermione and the kids. If you are wondering what Ian Wood has to do with everything stay tuned.**

 **Thank you again for all the nice comments and kudos to Eva who betas for us every week so most of my mistakes are gone when you get to see the new chapter.**


	23. More nightmares and a crow in the tree

**Chapter 23 – More nightmares and a crow in the tree**

 _The darkness was surrounding her. It was closing in on her. No light was to be seen. She was inside a whole lot of nothingness. There was no clue as to which way she should turn forward to escape. Suddenly she heard someone whimper. It was heart wrecking._

 _"_ _Aquila?" her voice echoed. The sobbing stopped and she tried to remember which direction it came from. Then the screaming started. Low at first, gaining more and more volume. It sounded just like her daughter. She had to rescue her, but she couldn't find the source. There was nothing but darkness and echoes around her. She was unable to move, afraid to go into the wrong direction._

Hermione woke up screaming from the top of her lungs. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears flowed anyway.

She had been sure she could get a grip on her life if she followed her plan. As long as she had a plan everything should work. Hermione had been able to learn, eat and live as long as she followed it. It had been her anchor, because she had always known her brain was her best resource. Now she wasn't sure anymore. She kept seeing shadows in the hallways, night by night her subconscious mind plagued her with nightmares and worst of all, she had betrayed nearly every friend she ever had. Ginny was right, she needed someone to talk to, but she was afraid to show them just how damaged she really was. She wanted to be strong, confident and reliable, but she had to admit defeat.

Meeting Draco and trying to get back what she had lost had failed her. Most likely it had even made things worse. And while she acknowledged her own failure, the voice in her head finally shut up, because yes, she knew better than continue on her desolate path.

Tonight there would be no more sleep for her until she cleared her head. Like so many nights before she got up and dressed to walk the ground until the worst of her nightmares were gone.

XxX

"It looks like we always meet up in the middle of the night Hermione." a deep voice greeted Hermione from behind. It scared the hell out of her, and she swirled around with her wand drawn and a nonverbal spell in her head. When she spotted Luna behind her she drew a deep breath and let it out again to compose herself before she answered. "Good evening Luna. I'm sorry, I didn't hear your approach."

The taller woman laughed and smiled good natured. "No offence taken. You are a war hero, so I understand your reaction. At least you didn't curse me and next time I know I'll have to be more careful."

Hermione was sure that she had used a spell, but it looked like she had missed, something she was grateful for. She didn't want to hurt a Professor, especially if they were to work together soon. Professor Sprouse was a bit odd, but always polite towards her. However she would need to work harder again, and practice more. Something like missing her target could be deadly.

"The Headmistress told us you are taking an exam to be a Professor soon." Luna asked as if she had read Hermione's thoughts.

While Hermione told her about her upcoming exam they walked through Hogwarts. It made Hermione feel calm and normal to talk about academics with someone who understood her and even commented from time to time. The younger woman had an excellent schooling with a totally different approach than they had here in Hogwarts.

"A shield charm is mostly covering the front, so attacks from beneath or behind can still hit the opponent." Professor Sprouse introduced when they talked about defensive spells.

"Most spells are going straight towards the target, so that's hard to do, isn't it?" Hermione asked her while she thought about the new insight.

"But if I summon something that is right behind him, it would knock him down if it's big enough. Or I could levitate something over his head and use the opening once he turns. That's brilliant Luna!" Hermione's eyes were sparkling. She wasn't bad at conventional duelling, but Harry had always been better than her. His magic had simply been stronger than hers. With small things like that she would be even better at duelling, even if it was a rather Slytherin thing to do. Attacking an opponent from behind wasn't really fair play, but Hermione had long far gone fairness for staying alive.

Stepping into the Courtyard Luna smiled back at Hermione and then looked around.

"Just give me a second to give a new friend of mine some food." she asked her companions and went towards the trees. Intently Hermione watch her approach a crow that sat alone in the trees. As if knowing someone neared, it opened its eyes and watched Luna alert with intelligent eyes. Luna placed something on the bottom of the tree and then went to join Hermione again.

"He isn't a pet of any of the students and he is here since winter started, so I feed him." Luna offered some information. "I always had some odd connection with those birds."

They watched in silence when the crow flew down from his tree to pick at the apple and the meat Luna had left for him while keeping looking their way.

Continuing their walk without talking Luna kept looking for students out after curfew while she hummed a low smoothing tune and Hermione let her thoughts wander. After they bid their goodbye later that night Hermione fell into a deep dreamless sleep until the next morning.

* * *

 **Thanks goes to Eva who encourages me every week with her sweet words that come along with a betaed chapter. Also thanks to you dear reader for the favorites I get every week.**


	24. No letter?

**Chapter 24 – No letters?**

"Albus, pssst." Scorpius tried to get his best mate's attention without waking the other boys in their dorm. Albus had a light sleep so it wasn't a hard task.

"Shut up!" Albus' answer was muffled by his sheets, but Scorpius knew once awake Albus would listen.

"I saw the Death Eaters in my dream again, and Snape. Do you think it's possible to miss someone you only met for an hour? I feel like I should have taken more time to get to know him. Maybe I could have asked him how to be stronger. I think he must have been a strict but really good teacher. My Dad always told me how much he looked up to him."

"Nice Scorpius, always a pleasure to be waken by you." Albus groaned but turned around to look at his friend. Making sure the curtains of the other boys were still closed he glared at Scorpius for waking him up. "We'll help Delphi with her task and make sure Snape stays alive, then you can ask him everything. Now let me sleep."

"Albus we can't kill Cedric again! You know how it ended the first time." Scorpius went even paler than normal but tried to keep his voice down. Something that proved to be difficult while he was still shaken from his nightmare. The eerie black shadows of his dreams were still laughing at him and taunting him. They told him he was unworthy to be Voldemort's son, so they would kill him and take his place as the heir. Even worse was what they did if he kept telling himself, and them, that Draco Malfoy was his father. They just laughed and laughed, making fun of him for believing a lie.

"You worry to much, there'll be a different way. Good night." with that Albus turned around and went back to sleep, ignoring anything else Scorpius wanted to say. He didn't want another argument in the middle of the night. He had his own doubts about what his girlfriend was asking of him, without Scorpius adding to them.

XxX

The times Hugo approached his sister, especially at her own table at breakfast were rare. Her little brother was rather quiet, had few friends and he was way to shy to stand up to any Gryffindor. She had told her house mates years ago to leave him alone or else, but for Hugo they were to loud and extroverted anyway and so he stayed away from her and the rest of Gryffindor's House.

Hence it was no wonder Rose was nearly having a heart attack when a small low voice talked to her from behind and, she was quite sure, was her brother's: "Rose?"

She jumped up from the bench and turned around, thinking her cousin James was playing a joke on her again, just to see it was her startled little brother behind her, with two book pressed against his chest. His red hair was unkempt and his green eyes were wide open in shock.

"Sorry" he apologised right away: "I'll talk to you later."

He nearly ran away after he saw everyone looking at him because of the spectacle his sister had caused. Cursing, Rose sent a longing look at her breakfast before she hurried after her brother to catch him outside the halls. She knew he wouldn't talk while he saw others looking at them.

"Hugo!" she called after him once they were in the hallway and was happy to notice he slowed down. While he was two years younger he was already catching up in height and his legs were way to long for his body in her opinion. Outrunning him proved to be more difficult each year.

"You can ask me now." she told him and smiled. It had to be important for him to seek her out on his own.

"Did Dad write to you? I haven't got an answer from him in two weeks." Hugo wasn't looking at her but at the stones at his feet and it broke Rose's heart to see him like this. Their parents should worry about them and not the other way around. Since her talk with her mother she felt rather restless herself, so she had told Hugo to stay away from their mother. She didn't want her little pure hearted brother to get hurt by that woman. It might be harsh but in his own best interest. She didn't know what kind of spell had gone wrong and messed with her mother's memories as bad as it had but in her opinion she should be in St. Mungo's and not here at school. Having her still here told her something she didn't want to accept or even acknowledge, because it would mean she would have to deal with the story her mother had told her. All Rose wanted was to wake up from this, go home on the winter break and find her parents quarrelling under the Christmas tree. How she was supposed to explain something she didn't understand herself to her small brother she didn't know.

"No I haven't got a letter either. But Christmas is coming up so I'm sure he's really busy with Uncle George to set up the Shop for it. Don't worry, we'll hear from him soon." she tried to cheer Hugo up and kept smiling at him.

"Uncle George sent a letter just two days ago. He added a lot of sweets." Hugo told her and gave her a weak smile. "I need to get these book to the library. See you later." he told her when she was at a loose for words and left her standing in the Hallway, cursing her parents in her head for doing this to them.

* * *

 **I just noticed that we haven't seen Draco since Hermione left him in the morning. I think I need him back next chapter.**


	25. He is, after all, a Slytherin

**Chapter 25 – He is, after all, a Slytherin**

Draco was livid. Chucking his robes on a chair once he entered his private room at the Manor, he cursed his bad luck. After waking up the morning after Granger's rather confusing visit, everything went downhill. Going to work with a massive hangover had proven to be a bad decision, just because he had no hangover potion stocked. He hadn't needed it in years, so why keep it at hand, the last one had gone to seed. At work, his second in command had told him about a cooperation between his two biggest competitors. Since then he had tried to keep it from happening and cursing himself for staring his own company. He had never been able to play professional Quidditch, which had made him decided to develop way to make it an even more outstanding sport. New brooms, kits and other stuff that could be enchanted or enhanced with spells and potions, name it, he tried inventing it. Knowing better than to name a business after himself, Ilmatar Enterprise Ltd. had done well up to now. The start had been rocky because everyone eyed the Malfoys with suspicion after the war. Now he had more than thirty wizards and witches working for him. They were depending on him to keep their jobs safe, and therefore, he needed to have the best stuff to reasonable prices. On that account, the cooperation had been a thorn in his side since it was announced. Normally he could come and go as he liked, deciding his own working hours, but for a week now he was at work nonstop. He needed something new, something better and he needed it soon.

The highlight of his day, in every bad way there was, and what had made him livid was something different, though. It had been a letter from his mother, who had concluded to move to France with his father, after Scorpius had entered Hogwarts. They had decided to come back for a holiday over winter break. His mother told him she wanted to see him and Scorpius occasionally, and since they wouldn't come to France she had made sure they had a portkey for the 23th of December. Draco was dead against it, but that wasn't something he could tell his own mother.

Knowing how much his son hated the stiff Malfoy celebrations, he had decided to kill the tradition years ago, but with his parents coming over there would be no way around it. This year his relationship with Scorpius was strained enough already and he didn't even want to think about how his son would react to the news. He just hopped he would still come home, but they both knew with Lucius Malfoy in attendance there was no other way.

Draco wouldn't say that his son hated his grandfather, but they would never be close. Lucius always made sure to let Draco know that he didn't agree with his parenting. Scorpius felt unsure around his strict grandfather and mostly got scolded for behaving like a kid when he was small. Draco's arguments to let his son have a normal childhood with getting dirty and playing pranks like other kids had met his father's believes in a strict pureblood upbringing of the next Malfoy heir. It had been the one time Draco had told his father to get lost. To say Lucius Malfoy had been furious would be the understatement of the century. They hadn't even looked at each other for weeks. Hadn't his mother put down her foot they would still glare at each other, but bless his mother for she was his father's solely weakness and knew how to use it.

A deep pain resurfaced when he thought about his son. The boy had closed down and isolated himself since his mother's death. He hadn't seen a carefree laugh or smile in years and he hated Harry Potter for denying him any help. Only his son Albus kept Scorpius going on some days, and it was something Draco was grateful for. To have a best friend at your side, no matter what, was something he missed since Astoria's death. He missed her, talking to her about their son, about his troubles. It had always helped.

Remembering Scorpius standing by Hermione's side after his latest escapades with Albus he smiled. Maybe that woman would be able to help getting his son out of his shell. Now he only needed to know how to handle her. Until recently, she had only been Potter's sidekick and Weasley's wife in his eyes, he hadn't allowed himself to see her any other way.

Since she had left him that evening, he had been waiting for a letter from her. He still hadn't gotten one, but he was nothing if not patient. He could wait until she made her next step, because from what he remembered of their night together she wouldn't be able to stay away.

He could still see her ridding him, grinding her hips against his. He had never known she could be so dominant during sex, but he had enjoyed it in a dark kind of way. Her voice had been husky and he still remembered her hushed "I love you Draco!" from when she had exploded around him. Her breast had brushed against him when she had whispered it to his ear. Feeling her tighten around him and her words at the same time had made him explode right along with her. It had been in the middle of the night and the buzz from the alcohol hadn't been as strong as the first time they had sex that evening. That once was rather hazy in his memories. No, it was that second time that had stayed with him. After years of chastity, he hadn't known he was still capable of cumming that hard, and even twice in one night. He still loved his wife dearly, but that one night had awakened a long lost longing again. He could stay strong alone, but now he yearned for someone to stand by his side again. Someone with curly brown hair and amber eyes looking at him as if he was her whole world. He groaned when he noticed how soppy he got over a woman. Just because she had shown him affection and devotion for one night, to leave him in the middle of it.

Sitting on his bed, he messed up his perfect hair with his hands and went to undress. Thinking about it made him hard, which didn't help his current messed up situation the slightest. He would lay low and wait, it was the least risky path to take. At his core, he was a Slytherin after all.

* * *

 **Draco was really easy to write. I know he's an idiot and a bully in the books but I want to believe that he matured and that since the war 18 years ago he got over the indoctrination of his father.**

 **Rowling once said that Draco was foremost a coward and I think he just can't get over himself. Since reading HP and the cursed child we all know he likes it bossy, but I don't think he would ever risk rejection and do the first step. Any opinions if I got it across right? I would love to know if you like his character like this.**


	26. Hermione's realisation

**Chapter 26 – Hermione's realisation**

"I slept with him."

She had, hadn't she? Hermione could still remember his scent and the noises he made. It had to be real, because any nice dream she had lately turned into a nightmare. The bittersweet memory she had of the night was real and it made her giddy with love and guilt whenever she remembered it. Her heart hurt just thinking of him. He hadn't smiled even once, but he had looked good. For her it had been years since she had been that close to him, even longer since he hadn't looked worn out and scared. She wanted to go back to him and hug him but knew he most likely wouldn't welcome her again. When she had planned this all as a one-off thing she hadn't considered the feelings it would unleash. For her, he had been only a sad copy of her own lover. To feel him, touch him, smell him had changed it. Now she was aware of him in a way that hadn't been there before. Her nightmares still plagued her at night, but the panic attacks had been better since she had seen him. She kept avoiding larger groups of people, but wasn't startled as bad anymore if someone neared her from behind. Now instead of fear she felt a longing to see him again and shame for what she had done.

Ginny had joined her at Hogwarts after they had corresponded mostly via letters since Hermione ended up in this timeline. After Hermione had told her just now what she had done, Ginny was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Why? I know you love him, but you yourself told us he wasn't him." Ginny's voice was upset. She knew something was wrong with Hermione. The Hermione she remembered had grown up to be a strong and independent woman and great mother. Ginny always envied her friend for her calm and logical mind. Where Ginny got loud and emotional, Hermione had been her voice of reason. Like when Harry had taken forever to gather his courage to ask Arthur for her hand in marriage and it had driven Ginny crazy. She knew he was like another son for her parents but Harry had been worried and had hesitated again and again.

"Because I want to get pregnant. I want my family back Ginny." Hermione interrupted Ginny when she wanted to talk again. Suddenly the shame became too much and she sobbed quietly.

"Oh Merlin, what did I do? I know I can't get her back. Intellectually I know that. But it hurts, it hurts so much Ginny. My little girl was all that I had left beside Scorpius. Draco just left us without saying good bye. He is gone and the children are all that is left and now Aquila is gone too." Hermione cradled her arms around her abdomen and cried. Ginny had tears in her eyes at the obvious pain her friend felt. She had never lost a child and hoped she never would. It was bad enough when they lost Fred and it had taken her mother forever to come out of her depression afterwards. Ginny wished for Molly to be there to help her. She would know what to say and what to do, Ginny was sure of it. But it was her who was here and she knew getting angry wouldn't help. She wanted to shout at Hermione, shake her until she came back on the path of reason, but seeing her friend lost in her grief broke her heart.

"You have children Hermione. Rose and Hugo will come around soon and you'll have to take care of them, even if you don't have your own children anymore. They deserve your time and I know you'll come to know and love them, I'm sure of it. But I think maybe you need to talk to someone Hermione. You being you, I know you can do it. You are the strongest woman I know and we'll all be there for you and listen."

"I know something isn't right with my head, but it's not like there are therapists in the wizarding world I could consul about my problems. What happened can't get out and you know that. Any muggle therapist will declare me insane the second I start to talk. I'll have to power through all this alone. My kids as you called them hate me already anyway. All I see when I look at them is Ron."

"You are not alone. You have all of us, even if we have to get to know each other again. We will be here for you. Even if you are pregnant with that ferret's child." Ginny added a bit disgusted at the end, but she tried to smile. It made Hermione look at her for the first time.

"You would have loved Aquila. Sometimes she remembered me so much of you Ginny. She had a fire to behold." Hermione was smiling now, sadly but smiling.

"Hermione, you know you need to tell him if you are pregnant?" Ginny asked warily. She didn't even want to think about it, but knowing Hermione she knew her friend would have made sure she wouldn't have taken the risk not to fall pregnant.

Hermione started to laugh. "I got him drunk. I don't believe he even remembers having sex with me. That conversation is not one of those I look forward to have, but yes I know Ginny. He has a right to get to know his child, even if it was my muddled brain that got him into it, I'm not that unfair."

"You got him drunk..." Ginny shook her head. "I don't even want to ask for the full story of that evening." She sighed. At least Hermione had stopped crying now.

"I hope you know Ron will be devastated if your plot worked. He always wanted a big family and it was you... her that told him two were more than enough. You are not even divorced officially yet."

Hermione looked at Ginny who just sat across from her calmly. The girl she once knew would have thrown a temper about all of this, but this woman was way more collected.

"I'm sorry Ginny. I didn't know that. I know I need to get myself together, but everything is so different and I have a hard time adjusting. Talking helps, so I'm grateful you listen to me. I promise to fix things with Ron once we both cooled down."

It was easily said but Hermione knew it would be a hard promis to keep. Many things had happened between her and Ron and some things couldn't be forgotten. Even if this Ron was someone different the memories were still there.

"Good."

"So tell me about Harry and the kids." Hermione changed the topic. She wanted to catch up on everyone's life and forget the feeling of uneasiness she had. Now that her thoughts calmed down again it came back, telling her she had done something wrong that couldn't be solved by saying sorry.

"You see them more than me Hermione, tell me how they are."

Ginny's laugh was open and it made Hermione's heart hurt that she only got to see it again, so many years later. She wished she knew the person she had grown into without all the hate and war around her.

* * *

 **Eva made a lovely comment, after betaing this, and I agree with her. We are sadists, because we like the way Hermione mentally tortures herself.**  
 **I kept thinking again and again how I should portrait her, because she's strong on the outside and rarely showes weakness, but I think deep inside she's overthinking everything she does. While Draco was easy to write I had a hard time here. Personally I'm way closer to Ginny in character than I'm to Hermione, but I admire her for her strength. I think she's never without a plan and her emotional turmoil will cool down once she's anchored.**


	27. They worry, Hermione

**Chapter 27 – They worry, Hermione**

"Uncle Harry?" a deep voice asked from the fireplace where green flames flickered and a young man's face was to be seen. When there was no answer the head vanished and a few seconds later the man stood in the fireplace, grumbling because he stumbled, and cleansed the ash from his dark robes. His hair was a mushy brown and his green eyes scanned the room for his uncle or aunt. Normally it was around this time of the day they ate dinner here, but the place was empty today.

"Uncle Harry?" he shouted louder and looked towards the stairs, unsure of what to do. When he was a kid he once interrupted them doing adult stuff and while he hadn't understood then, they simply hadn't answered and although he was impatient, he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it again. Sitting down on one of the chairs he used his wand to make a strong cup of black tea and waited.

Hours later a tired and worn out Harry Potter found his godson asleep in his kitchen with a cold cup in front of him that didn't look like it had been touched. Concerned he woke up the young man in fear of what could be the reason for his unannounced visit.

"Teddy?" Harry kept his voice low and calm when he touched Teddy and shook him lightly.

"Huh?" Teddy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, reminding Harry a lot of the small boy he had helped raise the last two decades. Upon seeing his Uncle, Teddy smiled, and his hair turned into a deep black to match Harry's. Something he still did after all those years for the people dearest to him.

"What time is it?" Teddy asked still sleep-drunken and took a gulp from his cup just to grimace when he tasted the cold tea.

"It's nearly midnight." Harry told him and sat down on the chair next to his. His robes were ruffled and he took down his glasses to rub his own eyes.

"Vicky will be crossed with me for staying away for so long." Teddy had told her he would visit the Potters but hadn't considered it would be this late. He hoped she hadn't stayed up waiting for him. They both had to work tomorrow morning.

"What are you doing here anyway? Did something happen?" Harry wanted to know while he made them a batch of coffee with his wand.

"You worry too much Uncle Harry. I just had a few questions because of Aunt Hermione." Ever the Gryffindor Teddy asked right away, he was never one to beat around the bush.

"Did Molly set you up to this?" Harry didn't want to sound indicting but he was too tired to keep the hardness out of his voice. When he and Ginny had told Molly to wait until Hermione answered her, they had thought it would help, but Molly had only taken it as a clue for a day or two. He knew his mother-in-law was really worried, but her constant nagging only added to his stress from work.

"No, but I also asked her and all she told me was to ask elsewhere. She was really mad when I brought it up, too. But Aunt Hermione doesn't answer her letters, and that's not like her. You said at dinner a few weeks ago she stayed at Hogwarts, is she still there? I wanted her help with a surprise for Vicky. There is still time, but Aunt Hermione is the best with charms and I want it to be perfect."

Harry smiled at the pure love he could hear in Teddy's voice when he talked about his fiancé. The boy had been smitten since he and Victoire had entered puberty and nothing had changed since then.

"She's a little off at the moment Ted, but nothing you need to worry too much about. I'll remind her to answer your letter, I'm sure she's just busy sorting everything out." Harry eased Teddy's concern with a sour taste in his mouth for bending the truth like he did.

He knew his old friend was having a hard time to adjust to this world, but he had hoped she would settle in and ask for help from him if she required it. As far as he knew the only person she talked to was Ginny, and his wife hadn't told him what her visit to Hogwarts had been about.

"Thanks Uncle Harry, hug her for me once you see her. I know it must be hard to divorce Ron, but if she thinks it's for the best we understand her. She'll always be family, married or not. Sorry to have kept you from your bed. You really should work less, Aunt Ginny will be worried!"

Harry smiled and nodded. The men hugged and Teddy vanished through the fireplace in search of his own woman.

Harry stayed back alone, pondering what he should do about Hermione, but without Ginny's input he didn't want to make a decision.

XxX

The letters from Harry and Ginny were one of the few Hermione read every morning. Harry's mostly were work related, papers she had to sign, which made her wish her resignation would be approved faster.

Today he had added a few personal words again, that made her feel a lump in her throat. Looking at all the other letters she had gotten until now, they were stored alphabetically, hidden in a small box, she got up to get them.

 _Hermione,_

 _Everyone is really worried about you. There should be quite a few letters from the family enquiring after you. If you have questions you can write to me anytime, but please answer them. They only know you and Ron are divorcing and became anxious when you shut down completely._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

There were some people she remembered, others she couldn't place and a few she was sure had been born after the war.

She hadn't looked at them after getting the howler from Molly a few weeks back and they kept pulling up now. Ginny had told her about the family dinner nearly a month ago that had led to the fiasco with Molly. She felt sorry because she was the one that caused this rift inside the family, but it meant the world to her that Ginny accepted her, messed up and crazy as she felt at the moment.

Placing the letters from Molly aside Hermione looked at all the other names more precisely for the first time.

Smiling when she saw the names Luna Scamander, née Lovegood, and Teddy Lupin, she took a deep breath and remembered her promise to herself when she saw Ginny. She would try to be the person she always wanted to be after the war. Getting to know more about the Hermione she had replaced would be another step towards that direction.

* * *

 **I missed Teddy so much in HP8...**


	28. Slytherin vs Gryffindor

**Chapter 28 – Slytherin vs. Gryffindor**

"There is a beauty in your eyes / It dances like a song on fire / It is primitive like love / Sacred like the need for man and animal to like in harmony / Let that beauty sing you the lullaby that lives in the kingdom of Swaziland"

Her voice carried clear through the night while the starts twinkled in the sky over her. Her students had left her classroom on top of the tower not too long ago and she was left alone. Professor Sprouse liked to stay up long into the night. It was the time of the day she adored the most. The old lullaby had been going through her head all evening. It calmed her down to sing it to the night, because the feeling of being watched was strong tonight.

Some days she wandered through the grounds, a few times with Hermione by her side, both of them walking in silence, enjoying each other's company. Luna was sure something was off with the older woman but didn't pry. The Daily Prophet offered more than enough rumours if one wanted to believe them. Either she would be deemed worthy of the truth or she would stay out of it, that was all up to Hermione.

Looking up at the cloud-covered sky she was able to watch the North Star shining bright. Today she would write her letter, no matter the old rules. She just hoped her Dogon Master would understand why she broke with the rite and answer her. After all, it had been her Master who had taught her to listen to her feelings, and not just her head.

XxX

The Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor had been on every lip at breakfast. The weather was cold and misty but at least no new snow was supposed to fall. It was the last game before the winter holidays and for both Slytherin and Gryffindor, it was their first game of the season.

Professor Sprouse stood next to Madam Hooch talking about the game and watching the students gather on the stands.

The team entered the pitch and made both women take their spots. The Slytherin Captain Sakura Takagi and the Gryffindor Captain Ian Wood shook hands. Their teams stood behind them, ready to go as soon as Madam Hooch started the game.

"Mount your brooms, please." Madam Hooch waited until everyone was ready, gave a curt nod and gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.

Fourteen brooms took of high into the sky while she released all four balls and took off after them, throwing the Quaffle into the air.

"Here the go off! Welcome to the last Quidditch game of 2020. I'm you commentator, Gerald Smith. Today, what a surprise, we get to see Gryffindor, you recognise the mostly red haired team, against Slytherin, who, sadly, forgot to dye or charm their hair green. If you are bored, sleepy or in a bad mood please leave now." it came from next to Professor Sprouse who was tasked with supervising the annotator. Since Lee Jordan, it was a sport between commentators to beat the legend with even funnier comments. They were not to be biased in favour of their own house but only to keep the crowd entertained.

"Merrythought caught the Quaffle and heeds of towards the rings. The Slytherin Captain looks happy to get some action. Takagi uses her broom to shield the goal. Man this woman knows how to keep her rings safe. I heard that's not the only thing she knows."

As a second year muggle-born Hufflepuff, Gerald was a skinny boy with dark blond hair. Until now he had done a great job at the last few games, but some comments were just too much.

"Smith, the game, nothing else." Professor Sprouse reminded him.

"Guys, you heard our hottest Prof, sorry no more juicy news. Flint caught the Quaffle and sent it on his way to Warrington. Owww that hurts! Never get onto blond Weasley's bad side. Her Bludger hits hard. Her cousin Granger caught it and starts to attack. Merrythought again, outch! this time Burke hit his target. Pucey, Flint annnd goal for Slytherin! No chance for big Weasley with that last second pass."

The three Slytherin Chasers Flint, Pucey and Warrington slapped hands and Takagi gave a thumbs-up to her two Beaters Burke and Peebles. Wood watched his team from his position high up but didn't worry. He knew they would tie the score in no time. His two Beaters played Quidditch together long before they joined Hogwarts, their dads had been best buddies nearly their whole life after all. Roxanne Weasley and Jason Jordan were the best Beaters Gryffindor got since Roxanne's dad and his twin had left Hogwarts.

"Now Potter got the Quaffle. Look at his moves, what a risky flying style! He's a daredevil just like his mom, if you ask me. Granger is right behind him, nearly can't see her if it wasn't for that bright red hair. She looks like a literal fire bolt up there. Sad she's flying a thunderbird, else it would be a great wordplay. Might want to ask her mother to..."

"Smith." Professor Sprouse sighed and smiled at him. "Wrong information."

"Score for Gryffindor. Potter got boxed by Warrington and Pucey but he still did it. It's a 10 – 10 ladies and gentleman!"

It was the odd feeling of someone breathing in her neck that made Luna's hair stand up while she tried to continue focusing on the game. Maybe the person behind her was a little to close, but when she turned around slightly there was nobody behind her. Deciding it had been the wind she wrapped her brown scarf tighter and continued scolding Smith as he commented Mrs. Potter's great Quidditch column instead of the game.

* * *

 **The lullaby at the beginning, just like all that HP stuff, is not my own, rights sadly belong to others.**

 **If anyone had trouble with all the names I have a list for the Quidditch player at hand for you:**  
 **Gryffindor**  
 **Ian Wood, Captain, Seeker**  
 **Louis Weasley, big Weasley, Keeper**  
 **Rose Weasley-Granger, Granger, Chaser**  
 **James Potter, Chaser**  
 **Alec Merrythought, Chaser**  
 **Jason Jordon, Beater**  
 **Roxanne Weasley, blond Weasley, Beater**

 **Slytherin**  
 **Sakura Takagi, Captain, Keeper**  
 **Benjamin Rosier, Seeker**  
 **Felix Flint, Chaser**  
 **Roy Warrington, Chaser**  
 **Darius Pucey, Chaser**  
 **Sebastian Burke, Beater**  
 **Byron Peebles, Beater**


	29. The heartbreaker snitch

**Chapter 29 – The heartbreaker snitch**

On top of the stands, not far from the Slytherins, sat a motionless crow. Nothing beside its eyes moved, while it ignored the game that was taking place in the air. There were two Slytherin boys huddled together in stands talking between them, and the crow was rather focused on them. Had anyone paid the crow any attention they would have found it odd, but while the game was on, everyone had their backs to it.

"Looks like Rosier saw something. He's on the move. Wood? You better get your ass moving Capt'n or else. Ahh never mind, our blond Weasley was faster. That must have hurt. Girl, you can't hit a boy there! Poor guy." came the voice of the commenter from other stands, but the crow tried to listen to what the light blond hair boy below him told his friend.

Had it focused on the game it might have tried to smile, if crows were able to. Takagi was taunting Potter to throw the Quaffle while he circled her, just to knock it back into his face with her broom when he finally threw it.

"That woman, if I was just a bit older...", the skinny boy commenting the game sighed and for a short moment a female voice rang out. "Focus on the game please Smith."

The crow recognized the voice, even if the tone was very different from the one she used when she talked to it at night. For a moment it was distracted remembering the lovely singing voice it had witnessed her using last night, but it kept his gaze on the tuff of black and white blond hair below it.

The Malfoy boy was focused on the game completely, but the same couldn't be said about his friend. It was obvious that Albus Potter would rather be at many other places than the cold, windy Quidditch stands.

"She's brilliant on a broom!" Scorpius said with a smile, while he focused on a red headed girl in Gryffindor attire.

"Wrong house!" Albus drawled, good natured and rolled his eyes.

Most of the stuff they talked about was irrelevant for the crow. It had been like this for anything it was able to listen to up to now. There was no indication that they worked on changing time like they were supposed to.

"Doesn't matter. I saw her looking my way just now. She knows I'm here. That's true love!"

"Be happy she isn't a beater. Or else she might whack the Bludger towards you, just to show you how much she likes you."

Like any and all of Albus' jaded remarks this one missed the mark completely for Scorpius. He looked at his friend with a big smile and stars in his eyes.

"You think?" and Albus had no idea how his friend saw anything positive in that statement but for some reason Scorpius did.

"You know it would hurt, right?" Albus asked him like he would a little kid.

"Yeh, but she would visit me at the Hospital wing all the time, because she felt guilty."

"You are nuts!"

The crow would have agreed if it had a voice, but it only kept observing from above.

"And you are not? I didn't kill myself to try proving my love."

"No, you just brought back my aunt in a crazy version that creeps around the school now. We agreed not to talk about it since we lost the time turner. " Albus hushed Scorpius and glared at him. Any friendly bickering was gone from his voice now. Scorpius turned back towards the game and they both kept silent while listening to the comments.

"Another goal for Slytherin. Burk is in top form today, getting them all in on big Weasley. Maybe he's as smitten with Burk as I am with Takagi and dizzy with lovesickness? Potter is for sure, he always throws them right at her. 40 – 10 for Slytherin!"

XxX

Scorpius and Albus were on their way to congratulate the Gryffindor team on catching the Snitch, but losing the game, when Scorp drew up short. He had bugged his friend into this because he wanted to see Rose, and Alb had followed, shaking his head.

What both of them hadn't anticipated was meeting Rose just outside the lockers, giving Ian Wood a soaring hot kiss, while everyone around them whistled. In her hand she held the Snitch Wood had caught a few minutes ago and the boy looked rather smitten with his lady. Albus grabbed Scorpius' arm when he tried to move forward. He saw the hurt and the anger on his best friend's face and didn't want him to get into trouble over his thoughtless cousin. She wasn't worth it in Albus eyes, none of his worthless family was.

Feeling the anger over his oh so heroic family bubble, Albus dragged Scorpius away from the spectacle Rose made of herself, towards another entrance.

When they were hidden in an alcove, where no one could see them, Albus finally let go of Scorpius' arm and turned towards his friend.

"Why?" Scorpius asked him with tears in his eyes. "I only wanted her to notice me. Just once. Why couldn't it be me?" the words were barely audible, but Albus hugged his best friend hard to let him know he wasn't alone. It was only for a few seconds, they were boys after all, but they both knew they were best friends who could always depend on each other.

"I always told you Rose can be a bitch. She isn't worth your time." Albus told his friend like he had many times before, and swore to himself he would make Rose hurt like she hurt his best friend. Even if he quarrelled with Scorpius and they didn't talk afterwards, they were best friends.

"She's better off with Woods. Maybe I am the son of the devil himself. Not even you should spend time with me."

"Shut up Scorp." Albus told him when he went down that road again and hit him. "I told you a bunch of times already; you sadly look just like your dad. I once heard Mom tell Dad that Voldemort was a good looking dude with dark hair and that everyone just thinking you could be his son had to have hit his head really hard. And let's totally forget you are born eight years after his defeat. Rather long pregnancy your mother had with you." Alb's tone was rather sarcastic but he couldn't take Scorp's whining. Sometimes he thought his friend rather stupid when he brought up all the dumb rumours others spread about him.

"How does your mother know how Voldemort looked before he turned ugly?" Scorpius asked and forgot his problems for a second.

"No idea mate. Ask her yourself. I'd rather not bring up any nightmares." Albus shut up afterwards. He never liked to share personal things, but Scorp was his best friend. It wasn't like he hadn't asked himself the same question after overhearing his parents talk.

"Now get your shit together Scorp, you are a freaking Slytherin not a Hufflepuff." Albus said with a smirk.

* * *

 **My beta Eva was really intrested why I introduced Ian Wood into the story some chapters ago and asked, but I woulnd't tell her because I knew this heartbreak was coming. Since it's Christmas in just over a weeks time I wanted to give you the winter breake chapters just in time, but like any and all of my plots, Christmas, too, will be late this year. There is so much going on and I didn't want to hurry just get there.**


	30. Will you always be there?

**Chapter 30 – Will you always be there?**

Within the next weeks Hermione concentrated on learning for her degree in Defence Against the Dark Arts. While she knew most of the spells by heart after her years in hiding, she still relished burying herself in any books she got her hands on. She needed it to keep herself from overthinking what she had done. She wavered between hoping for pregnancy and self-loathing, adding her longing to see Draco, she was a mess.

Sleep was once again mostly avoiding her and the few times she actually fell asleep often ended in a panic attack. It was about Aquila in the beginning but changed towards the end. Different people she had met here in this time accusing her of stealing their friend Hermione, Ron shouting at her for her selfishness or her old Professors looking at her like she had failed them. But by far the worst one was when she saw Draco at one side and Aquila at the other. They always told her to choose. Some nights she was rooted to the ground and others she moved towards one of them just to have them both vanish while Bellatrix crazy laugh sounded from afar. On days like that she stayed hidden in her room and didn't answer any visitors at her door. It took everything she had not to shout and cry herself hoarse.

On her good days she was glad that the room Minerva had assigned to her wasn't too far from the library, where she spent a lot of her time. If any of the students wondered why she was at Hogwarts they didn't dare to ask her. The only one that was brave enough to speak to her was Scorpius anyway. Her own children, as she had to remind herself again and again to call them, ignored her or steered clear of her. She saw Hugo twice but when he noticed her looking at him he scurried away. She didn't know what Rose had told her brother, but it was clear, while he had a settled character, he wasn't one to scrutinize. So she never had the chance to talk to him yet, keeping true to her promise to leave them alone if they didn't initiate a conversation. She didn't want to pressure them after Rose's reaction.

Her divorce with Ron was official for a few days and she wondered how the gossip pages weren't full of it yet. She knew Harry was most likely to thank for that. He took over most of her workload and kept mailing the most important things via owl towards Hogwarts. She still couldn't believe that she was the Minister of Magic. As much as she knew that her old self worked hard and had a dream fulfilled when she had succeeded Kingsley last year, she couldn't identify. With no knowledge of this world she only had the pace notes of her old self to rely on, while she made decisions. She knew her time in hiding at Hogwarts was running out fast. She wanted them to make her resignation official faster.

Molly was also sending her letters after letters. Her mother-in-law was just as she remembered her. Her words had switched from ones of anger to sorrow and angst after the first two weeks. Being a mother herself Hermione had stopped reading them, because she knew she should answer, but every draw for an answer had been unsatisfying. She would need to meet up with Molly and hope the older woman would understand her and not curse her like she deserved it. At least she had taken Harry's advice to heart and started reading the rest of the letters and answered some.

When it knocked on her door she raised her head from her book in surprise. It was late already and none of the staff ever visited her after curfew. Bothered she went to open and was greeted with the sight of Rose standing on her doorstep.

"You said you would always be there for us. Always!" she muttered and Hermione saw the tears in her eyes. Sighing she beckoned her in and prepared herself mentally for the coming conversation. Her daughter didn't move from the doorstep, but the tears started running unrestrained. She looked rather dishevelled and Hermione was reminded a lot of herself at Rose's age. A baggy uniform, slightly less tousled locks maybe and a flushed face.

"Don't you love us anymore? You not only divorced Dad, but left us too. He said you wouldn't be home for Christmas next month. You need to be home. It's Christmas. You promised nothing would ever make you stop loving us." Rose hiccupped and didn't give Hermione a chance to respond.

The girl turned around and ran away after she finished talking. Hermione went to follow her when she saw a tall blond boy at the end of the hallway who headed her daughter off and hugged her hard. She gave him a nod and closed her door again. So much for giving the children time to come for her. It looked like she would need to talk to Rose, especially since she had no idea what this had been about, but for now her girl had a friend with her.

Hermione came to a standstill when she noticed she had call Rose her girl in her head and a few tears started to gather in her own eyes. Talking to Ginny helped more than she could ever thank her friend for.

She had been able to open up more and more towards the redhead lately. The last time she had told her something she started to discover for herself.

"I feel like I can't even trust myself."

To voice it out loud had taken a lot of courage even if it was just in front of Ginny.

* * *

 **I wish all of you a very happy Christmas with all your dear ones and a lot of laughter.**


	31. Do you know the divorce ratio?

**Chapter 31 – Do you know the divorce ratio?**

Rose hugged Ian tightly and was grateful he was here with her. It had taken a lot of courage to ask him to go with her. While she had only agreed to date him for selfish reasons first, she had got to see his good sides within a short time. He was reliable like a rock and considerate of her moods. Growing up with a bunch of boys, she knew not many boys would be so good-natured.

"I guess it didn't went like you wanted it to?" he asked when she had calmed down a bit and the worst crying had stopped.

"I didn't wait for her answer. Just seeing how emotionless her face was, was too much." Rose knew she was being unfair, but at the moment she didn't care. When she had read her grandmother's invitation to join them for the Christmas break she had known her parents wouldn't be there. Her father was out of her reach, so she took her anger out on her mother.

She knew Grandma Molly had wanted to be considerate of her and Hugo, but it had been like a blow. Rose had been sure she and Hugo would go home for Christmas together with her Mom and her Dad, it would be a bit odd, but at least her parents would be talking and working everything out for their sake. They didn't need to be in love and married for all Rose cared, but they should be able put themselves together for two weeks.

"I don't know what's wrong with you and your mother Rose but I'm sure it won't get fixed by running away. You are a lion, so you need to stand your ground even if you are frightened by what could happen. Now go back and give her a chance, I'm sure she's just as sad as you are."

Ian whipped his girlfriend's tears from her face and smiled at her while leaning his forehead against hers. Giving her a short and sweet kiss he stepped back at nodded towards the door.

"I'll be here." he promised and Rose drew a breath before she went to knock on her mother's door again.

XxX

"Did you know that the divorce ratio in the United Kingdom is around 40% for the muggles but only around 5% for the wizards?" Hermione asked her daughter while she stirred some tea for them. They hadn't talked since her daughter had come in again with her tear stained face and sat down on the seat Hermione had offered her the first time she knocked.

"A romantic would see it as a blessing, maybe even magic, how good we seem to be at finding our soulmate. The reality is that in our world it's shameful to divorce. A simple signature under a document isn't enough to seal the deal. A marriage joined by magic needs reasons to be divorced, other than mutual agreement. To divorce a wizard marriage there needs to be a seal from the Wizenmagot on it and they like to investigate."

There was a silence after Hermione stopped talking. Rose wasn't sure what her mother wanted to tell her, but stating facts was something she did often before she talked about what was going on. It was her mother's way to soften the blow of bad news or to help along find a solution.

"When I joined Hogwarts I was full of dreams and couldn't stop reading all these books about magic and what I would be able to do. I always had trouble to find friends, because I was, apparently, a snotty little know-it-all. I never saw myself as such, but if you're told that's the way others see you, you can either accept it and go on or change your ways. You father voiced that opinion often and rather loud in my first year here and after believing I was finally somewhere I would be accepted, it was a huge blow. Still he and Harry went to rescue me from that troll the day I went into the toilet crying because of him. Our relationship was the same ever since. Your father wouldn't watch his mouth, I would shoot back and we both would end up hurt over trivial things, still I fell in love with him because once he got over it he would always come back, risking everything. That's why I hurt him so bad this time Rose, I don't want him to come back. He needs to accept that it's over and move on."

Rose listened to her mother but she couldn't understand it. There were no reasons for her mother to behave like that. Yes they quarrelled and she had often asked herself why they didn't separate, but she had never imagined it to be this final.

"All of this has nothing to do with you or your brother Rose, and I'm sorry it affects you as much as it does. I would love to get to know you, on your terms, if you want. I can't give you back the mother who brought you up, but I'll try to be there for you as much as I can."

They sat in silence again and Hermione kept her eyes on the girl in front of her. She could see so much of herself and Aquila in her, but focused on really seeing the girl. Her hair was curly and a bit untamed, leaning towards her brownish colour and not Ron's fire bright red. The colour was just red enough to give her a unique touch that would always out her as a Weasley.

"I don't understand you Mom." Rose told her some time later and went to leave the room, closing the door silently behind her. She wasn't angry anymore, just bone-deep exhausted.

Looking at the closed door Hermione sighed and ran her hands over her face. This was the best she had been able to do, without opening the can of worms her relationship with Ron was while the war. His betrayal still stung.

* * *

 **Happy New Year!**

 **Hoping for more reviews and comments this year to get even better.**


	32. How Hugo made sure

**Chapter 32 – How Hugo made sure**

"Delphi wrote a letter to meet up at Hogsmeade and I'll sneak out next weekend, before we head home for Christmas." Albus told Scorpius on their way to breakfast, after making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

His best friend had been a goofball until his mother had died a year ago. Since then he had grown a lot more gloomy and silent, which had worsened since Rose relationship with the Gryffindor Captain's coming out. They didn't really hide it that much was sure. His cousin was holding hands with the dude, smiling at him, but at least she wasn't making a public spectacle out of their intimacies. He had yet to see them snog again in public like they had after the game.

Scorpius refused unwaveringly to talk about it at all since the game. It's what made Albus stop talking about Delphi until now, because if what Scorpius had to say about his girl had been bad before, it was even worse now. He had waited a few days already to bring the letter he got up, but now he was running out of time.

To leave alone was always an opinion, but he knew they would have a better chance of sneaking out and in again, without being noticed, if they worked together.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Scorpius was looking at Alb tiredly and they both knew why. He had no problem with breaking a rule or two, but a whole bunch of problems that came along with Delphi. Albus could go on all day if he was to be asked what kind of problems Scorpius had with his girl. Starting with her look, her tone, her pleas, her behaviour, and it could go on and on. It's what made his answer so curt.

"I'm not telling you to comment, only to give you the choice to accompany me. Leave it or take it."

Sometimes he wasn't sure if Scorpius was really anxious or just didn't like for him to be happy. That thought occurred more and more the last weeks, but then he saw the concern in his best friend's eyes and knew he was an idiot for even thinking about it. He would never leave Scorpius behind, not because of a girl or a row and his friend was the same.

Nonetheless Albus wanted to see Delphi before he had to join his family for the holidays. He dreaded them nearly as much as he did the summer break. Not taking her invitation to Hogsmeade wasn't an option for him.

Christmas at Grimmauld Place would be awful. Everyone would be joking around, smiling and live the perfect family life. Then his father would try to talk to him because he treasured their father-son time. They would quarrel like so many times before, because his dad didn't know when to shut up and his mom would look at them with sad eyes afterwards and hug him even tighter at his department. It would end with a reassurance from her that his dad meant well and a curt nod from him. Maybe she'd even tell him how similar he and Harry were, and he would have to keep from rolling his eyes again. His perfect dad with his perfect family and poor Slytherin Albus.

He was so pissed off by it all, just thinking about the holidays.

XxX

The knock on her door was faint, but it interrupted Hermione's concentration. She stood up from her small table and stretched her aching body. Sitting in the same position for too long left her hurting, but once she was engrossed in her studies she couldn't help herself.

The book on the table tried to explain the different concepts of time travel and their outcome. It was old, partial and rather vague in most of its answers. All in all it gave Hermione a headache but no help.

Opening the door she was greeted by a small boy with a tuff of short brown wild hair, wearing a blue Ravenclaw uniform and carrying a lot of books on his arm. He watched her reaction to him and frowned just like Ron would when she didn't show anything.

"Hi." he whispered and tried to look into the room behind her. He was rather insecure after he had heard the story from his sister more than a month ago. Then there was the letter from his Dad shortly after, telling him that he and his mother would divorce.

Just his mother never approached him at all. He had seen her in the library quite often, but she never took notice of him. To be fair he had always hidden as soon as he saw her. His sister was the bossy one and directed him. If she told him to stay away from the imposter he did. But he had watched his mother many times. There were things different about her, but he knew her little tell tales. An imposter wouldn't be able to know them all. So he was quite sure this woman was his mother and something awful had happened. Debating with himself he had decided to ignore his sister this once and investigate himself. After asking Rose a few questions until she snapped he knew his sister took it worse than she let on. So he was here now, standing in front of his mother, smiling sheepishly and carrying book on amnesia and magical accidents.

* * *

 **Since I haven't said it this year yet: No rights on the characters belong to me (beside Aquila!)**

 **We are back on track, problems were solved and everything is betaed by our lovely Eva again.**

 **As we continue it gets more and more complex so I'm counting on you guys to tell me if I mess something up. Should you find nothing I bodged I would feel very happy to hear from you anyway.**


	33. Can I still call you Mom?

**Chapter 33 – Can I still call you Mom?**

"I'm Hugo." he told her in a small voice. "Rose's younger brother. She told me you had some memory problems. I was rather worried, so I looked everything I found in the library up. I brought some of the books I found helpful with me. Maybe I can help you with them. And if not, we could talk. You can ask me anything. But maybe Rose already offered. I don't want to impose."

Hugo kept talking when there was still no answer from his mother. All she did was looking at him as if trying to figure out who he was and what he wanted. He only knew what his dad and Rose had shared, which wasn't much, but he wanted to find out the rest. He was way too curious to stay put. What he hadn't counted on, however, was her silence. He knew she most likely wouldn't remember him, but still his mother had always be a warm person, welcoming anyone at their home. She didn't bear grudges or send them away if they had questions. Yes she was a busy woman, always spending many hours at work, even bringing work home to continue it after dinner, but if Hugo approached her, she had always set it aside. He was always proud to say he had his thirst for knowledge from his mother. After spending a few years at a muggle primary school he knew most adults didn't have Hermione Granger-Weasley's patience with his endless questions.

He had learned to keep his head down at school and wait for whoever would raise his hand, then if no-one could answer, he joined in. Of course he knew nearly all the answers even before they covered the topic in class, but he disliked the way the teachers fussed over him and how the other students always glared at him if he was the first to raise his hand.

Maybe he was a bit socially awkward, he knew that himself, but it didn't bother him. He rather kept to himself than join endless chatter over irrelevant topic that didn't interest him.

Spending time at the library to solve a problem was what he was best at and loved the most. That's why he had gone straight there when he had an idea of what was wrong with his mom.

"Okkkk... If it's not convenient now, should I try again later? You look rather tired. Maybe you want to sleep. It's late already. I'm sorry I'll come back tomorrow. Only if you want me to though." Hugo took a step away from the door and blushed a deep shade of scarlet in embarrassment. He almost felt as bad as if he had failed a test and he hated feeling like this the most. Maybe this woman was really different from the mother he knew after all. It looked a lot like he besieged her. He knew better than to be outgoing and ramble on. In his own eyes one of his worst traits. He just never knew when to stop talking.

XxX

The first thing Hermione noticed about her son was that he babbled away when he was nervous. It was something she had happened to do herself when she was still a girl and showed her just how much courage it had taken for him to show up at her door.

"Please come in. I'm just doing some reading myself." she offered with a smile. She hoped she sounded sincere, because she was a bit overwhelmed by her children at the moment. First Rose this morning, which had left her rather rattled, and now Hugo, was a bit much for one day.

"Thank you Mom." Hugo said shyly and then stood rigged right beside her. "Can I still call you Mom?" he asked afraid and went right into an explanation. "I can call you Hermione or Mrs. Granger, or is it Miss Granger now? You just need to tell me!" he nearly shouted with his eyes wide.

"Calm down Hugo. I know I am your mother, so you can call me whatever you prefer."

XxX

A few days later Delphi was seething in Hogsmeade.

These two boys were good-for-nothings. They even lost the time turner. How was she supposed to have her Happy End now? She needed it back and fast. She spent weeks planning this and everything went beautifully until this stupid boy tells her his aunt had taken the time turner from them.

"Albus..." she smiled at the love drunken boy, "I'm sure there is a way for you to get our time turner back from Miss Granger." she caressed his hair a bit while Scorpius said nothing, standing right beside them. He was afraid after he had seen the dark shadows in Delphi's eyes. She was bad news, he had known for quite some time. The tattoo on her back was enormous and he was sure he had seen the motive before in History of Magic. For some reason he knew it was linked to Voldemort, but he kept his mouth shut. Just looking at woman who ran around with a backless top in the middle of the winter in Scotland could prove his reasoning to anyone except Albus. Heating charms were not that strong.

"It's not a problem Delphi. Just trust us. It's not a problem at all. We'll fix it." Albus was babbling on and on, repeating himself. Maybe he had seen the crazy touch Delphi had today or he only wanted her to smile at him again, but the next moment any hope for the second were out the window.

"You don't want to know what will happen if you don't!" she showed her true colours, yanking Albus' hair until he cried out in pain. Then she patted his head and kissed him to smooth his pain, making it look like the short outburst had never been.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you? We don't want your little friend here hurt, do we? Something bad is in his future, if we don't change the past soon." her voice was cold and lethal and her smile showed no warmth when she looked at Scorpius.

"I'll see you next year, have a great Christmas."

She had waited for weeks to be able to approach them unseen. Sneaking around Hogwarts was too risky for her and they hadn't been allowed to Hogsmeade for a while. But now here was her chance. What did she care if they got detention for a week or two? All that mattered was that they did what she wanted. And she wanted him back alive. She was Bellatrix' heir after all, the darkness was in her blood. She thrived in it.

"When spares are spared, when time is turned, when unseen children murder their fathers, will the dark lord return." the word echoed only in her head but she could hear them loud and clear. If it wasn't for the third part she would have done it herself, but it had to be Albus fucking Potter to fulfil the Prophecy.

Laughing darkly she disapparated, knowing the two pubs would do just as told. If not she would send an old friend after them. He had no problems sneaking into Hogwarts, after watching them for weeks already.


	34. Reaching out

**Chapter 34 – Reaching out**

Hermione took some time to consider what she had heard from her children, while the days got shorter and shorter. Hogwarts was preparing for Christmas and while most students were already fully into the holiday spirit, a few could still be seen studying for the last few tests that would come up beforehand.

It had been a hard decision to make. Ron and she might be divorced now, exactly as she wanted, but she still had two children to take care of. Giving up was not an option she could ever choose.

As reserved as she had been at the beginning, she couldn't just back out on her family here. The walls she had built around her to keep herself safe had crumbled when she had seen the hurt in Rose's face and the hope Hugo held when he finally talked to her. They were her children too. It was a revelation that had finally hit her and that had sent her to sleep crying the evening after their visit. Now she felt like she had decided to act too harshly, without considering all the facts.

She knew that her panic had overwritten her rationality when she had landed herself in this different world, but it felt like she had failed yet again.

Hugo had been so open with her after he had gotten over his shyness. He had accepted the facts she had told him about her situation with a patient and understanding attitude she hadn't expected from a 12-year-old kid. The books he had found would have been helpful, had she really been victim to a normal magical accident. He had found various treatments, like visiting other people's memories in a Pensieve, which could be very risky but helped in cases where the victim wanted their life back, or some kind of magical meditation with retransition. Hugo must have spent hours and hours not far from her in the library to find all the different books. She had hoped he hadn't neglected his own schoolwork or friends for his research, but when she asked him he had closed down and refused to talk about school or friends.

As for Ron, it had taken a few days to get a hold of him. The Hogwarts owl she sent for him took nearly a week to get back to her, with only a ripped off paper stating a date and time and nothing else. Even with the little he had written it had taken her quite a few moments to make out his handwriting. It was still as sloppy as she remembered it from school, reading over his homework to correct his mistakes. They were bittersweet memories, old and tarnished, but she was able to conjure them up to overcast the newer, horrible and sad ones.

* * *

 **Hey everyone, it's been quiet some time since the last update and sadly I have to announce the series will be on hiatus for the coming month or two. I'm so sorry but I won't change it. The last 7 weeks were really hard on me, with an odysee of docs, hospital and bedrest. I'm getting better now but after such a long time my life is a mess I need to focus on other things for the time being.**

 **For today I hope you liked the small update I found on my PC and we'll read each other soon.**


	35. A panic attak

Chapter 35 – A panic attack

The days until Ron's visit were spent writing down what she should say, but Hermione burned all her drafts. Nothing seemed right and when she reread it again she always found it lacking of something. A few times she debated getting help from Harry or Ginny, but she decided she should be able to do it alone.

A wrong decision she would only notice too late.

XxX

"Hello Ron.", Hermione greeted the man in front of her and tried to keep her voice normal, but she knew it fell flat. She looked him right in the eyes, but the shudder that went through her when he entered her room wasn't something she could stifle. His red hair shone just a tad redder in the evening light and made her remember another time, at another place, when it had been as red as blood.

"Hermione.", Ron's response wasn't any friendlier than her welcome and she could see he looked haggard. His robe was loose around his figure and while she might not look any better than him she at least knew why. Under all that aversion she held for the Ron she had lived with the last years there was a spark of genuine concern for the man in front of her.

"Would you like something to drink?", she asked with a lump in her throat and kept herself busy by walking towards her little table. She wasn't ready to sit down as long as he was standing and looking around her private space.

"I don't understand you 'Mione. We were fine until you went crazy and fell in love with the ferret." Ron suddenly whispered after she watched him walk around the room in circles. Hermione held herself still and breathed deeply.

"Can you honestly say that I am the love of your life? Was your first thought every morning since we last saw each other about me? Did my letter make your heart beat faster? Is your heart breaking each day you pass without seeing me?" Hermione looked at Ron and made a short break before she continued: "Or was it more like you were angry and now hope I came to my senses when I saw the divorce was real. Didn't you hope that I would crawl back to you? Wasn't that why you meet up with me?"

The moment the hateful word left her mouth she knew she shouldn't have said them, but she couldn't stop herself. She felt as if all the emotions suddenly needed to pour out of her or she would burst. Her room was too small and it took everything to stay where she was and not try to get away as fast as possible.

"I have no idea why, after listening to you just now! That's my problem, because you never talked to me. But what is yours Hermione? Whatever that Ron in your time did, it wasn't me! I fucking came here because of my children. And maybe to get an answer to why this all happened to our family."

Hermione slumped down in her chair, because the man in front of her was right, but she was drenched in sweat. They knew nothing about each other and she just attacked him for nothing but a snippy comment. He had suddenly looked so aggressive to her. Now her heart raced and her thoughts were in turmoil.

"I am sorry Ron. You are right, my anger got the best of me. I was the one who asked you to come and talk because of the children."

"Why do you even care? Suddenly remembered they are yours?", she could see his temper ran high now. All the frustration of the last weeks slashed themselves a way out of him.

"No Ron, I don't remember something that never happened for me, but to them I'm still their mother either way. Rose asked about Christmas and I wanted to know where we stood. I don't think I should show up at the Burrow, but she was really angry.", Hermione tried to explain the situation, but she could still see the anger in Ron's face. Her chance to talk to him openly was already lost. She knew she shouldn't have shouted, but it was too late now.

"You know what? I don't care! Clean up this mess you created yourself. I love our children, heck I don't know why, but I even love you, however I've had enough of your crap. We are divorced, so they'll get used to the situation. They'll spend Christmas with me, you can have them when they are at school. Maybe you can make up for all the time you'd rather spend at work than with your family."

Ron's final words echoed together with the door he had once again slammed close behind him. Hermione stayed behind in her small room she had gotten here at Hogwarts, looking around, blinking to keep her tears at bay. She hated how pathetic she had become in the short time she spent in a world without war. Constant vigilance she scolded herself, but knew she had messed up with Ron anyway.

She had wanted to make sure that there was no way around a divorce, having her own Ron in mind, never trying to get to know the person he grew up to be in this different world.

"What am I doing?", she whispered but there was no one who could hear and answer her.

* * *

 **Note: I'm back and Hermione is getting worse. Thank you for all your patience the last months. I hope I'll be able to post more often now that I'm back home and working. I'm also thinking about remodelling a few of the old chapters to make the story flow more smootly, but my priority will be on the new chapters.**


	36. Hugo's solicitation

Chapter 36 - Hugo's solicitation

"Mara?", Lucy Weasley's voice sounded through the hall where Rose's best friend walked towards the Gryffindor tower. She and some other classmates had just finished their Divination class with a very grey-haired Professor Trelawney. A class Rose had vowed to never even try out after seeing the book _Unfogging your future_ , when one of her older cousins finished his homework at their home over the holidays. She loved to read, but after just a few pages she had set it aside, complaining how magic could be so boring and unspecific.

"Hi.", Mara greeted back shyly, her brown eyes insecure. Lucy was not just two years older, but also a Ravenclaw Prefect. Her long black hair, just a tiny bit curly, and her green eyes made a striking combination. Her oblong face was small, with a nose and mouth both just a little bit too big to make her look really beautiful. Her smile was warm, but she could be harsh, if she found some students who didn't follow the rules or bullied others.

Beside her greetings towards Rose, Lucy and Mara had nothing to do with one another, so Mara was anxious about what had made the older girl want to talk to her.

"Sorry to retain you Mara. I haven't got a hold of Rose the last few days. Do you know if she's fine?"

Lucy was a lot like her dad Percy, for she was serious and very keen on her studies, but she had her mother's caring nature and sweet smile. Hearing what was going on in her family, she couldn't help but worry about Rose and Hugo, but mostly Rose. Her cousin was a temperamental teenager who wanted to look strong, so she hardly asked for help. Sometimes having someone to talk to could help and Lucy wanted to let her know that she would be there for her.

"Oh, yes, I guess? She's a bit down and emotional but she spends most of her time with Ian at the moment. They just started going out. She is happy to spend time with him so I hardly see her too."

Mara blushed when she heard what this conversation was about and scolded herself for worrying. Sometimes she wondered why the hat had put her in Gryffindor. All she ever did was worry about what could go wrong, but mostly after she rushed right into the trouble.

"Thank you Mara. Sorry again for keeping you from you next class. Now hurry up."

"I'll tell her you enquired about her once I catch her tonight. I'm sure she'll check in with you.", Mara said while she turned around and went to follow her classmates towards the tower. There was still enough time to be back before curfew without a hurry, but with a Prefect watching her Mara shook a leg anyway, her own shoulder-length straight black hair swinging behind her.

XxX

In the evening the Ravenclaw tower was full, but less noisy than any other house and small groups were sitting together at the tables of the Common Room, talking softly about their classes or the upcoming weekend.

After her two classmates had left for the dorms, Lucy was sitting alone in the sitting place not far from one of the big arched windows when the chair next to her was suddenly occupied again.

Hugo shyly smiled at her and his whole face looked hopeful.

"Sorry Hugo, I couldn't catch her again."

She could see the smile fall from his face and he started to frown before she was finished.

"But I talked to Mara earlier and she'll tell Rose that I want to talk to her. That is if she wants to.", Lucy felt like she had to remind her small cousin of that. She couldn't and wouldn't meddle in Rose's affairs if she didn't her want to. No matter how much Hugo wanted her to help Rose, she couldn't help someone who saw no need for advice.

Further it was a problem Lucy herself had never encountered and wasn't sure how to handle. There were a lot of feelings and people involved in this drama and she feared to give the wrong advice. Mainly she just wanted to offer a sympathetic ear, like she had for Hugo. He had been the one to explain the situation to her and ask for help with Rose, because she had reacted badly in his eyes. For him his mother was his mother, with or without memories. He tried to see the best in the situation and told Lucy it was funny how he retold a story for his mom and she had sat there, listened and smiled at him.

Since he was small his mother had spent most of her time working and it had always been his dad, his sister and him at home. To have his mother talking to him about her memory problems, confiding in him and having her all for himself had lessened the shock of her losing her memory for Hugo.

Lucy was just happy Aunt Hermione had stopped him from spending any more time in the library to find other solutions to her problems. She had invited Hugo to join her again, an invitation Hugo was to shy yet to take, but had told him his friends and his studies were more important. His sad little smile when he had told Lucy how important friends were in his mother's eyes had made her want to hug her little cousin.

As a relative and someone from his own house she knew and saw how hard Hugo's first year was for him. Another strange Weasley that didn't end up in Gryffindor, was what they called him, or the Minister's little nestling. Children could be spiteful if they didn't understand something or were jealous. Hugo was shy and sensitive and had a rough time. Instead of searching for other friends, who didn't care for his family he had hidden himself away in the library reading every book he had gotten his hands on. Beside her, his sister and some other cousins she hadn't seen him talk to anyone outside of lessons.

Looking over towards his classmates she noticed Elena watching them. The little girl had tried, the first few weeks, to make Hugo join her group of first years, but the others had made her stop rather fast. Lucy didn't know what happened but she didn't pressure Hugo to tell her. Things would happen in their own time.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Many of you loved Hugo so this little chapter is for you.**

 **By now there are so many characters that the story is taking longer to unfold than I planned. I promise we'll go deeper into Hermione's misery in the future and to answer the question some of you bought up intheir comments: _No, Hermione isn't likeable nor is she supposed to be at this point._ She has PTSD, and if any of you ever had a personal experiance with it, you know that it twists the person. It's a mental illness that manifests in different ways and makes it hard to regognize the loved person it burries. This story is my personal way of looking at it, and the way I let her deal with it is neither right nor wrong but simple fiction. I added a warning to the first chapter now since there are so many readers in the comments that voice their problem with it. Also some changes were made to the chapters 18-20.**

 **Since many of you voiced a problem with her behaviour I want to warn you here again, it will get worse before it gets better!**


	37. Another bad dream

**Chapter 37 – Another bad dream**

 _Ron was right next to her and hugged her tight. Her pregnant belly hindered him to get closer. She looked down at herself, confused. Ron had never seen her pregnant, or had he? Her best friend smiled at her in a way she hadn't seen since school._

 _His blue eyes were full of life and happiness. Tacking a step back she tried to get space between them, but he followed and threw his arm around her again._

 _She could hear him laughing and looked around to see what had led to his good mood, but he stopped her from getting away from him with his larger and stronger arms._

 _Hermione looked at the arm around her, when the shirt he had worn suddenly vanished and she saw blood instead._

 _Looking up at Ron in horror, she saw his face starting to shift from a smile to pure loathing and his vibrant red hair was matted in blood, making it shine even more._

 _Hermione tried to scream, but Ron hugged her to him even closer, covering her in his blood while his laugh sounded more and more crazy. His arms, still wrapped around her, pressed closer and closer, hurting her as it went on. She tried to free herself but he was too strong, leaving her helpless. All she wanted to do was to scream, protect herself and her child, but the only noise around her was a mad man's laugh._

Hermione shot up in the bed, breathing hard from the nightmare, her mouth open in a soundless scream. It was different from her normal ones and she knew it had to do with seeing Ron again. Their shouting match hadn't smothered her anxiety and she had gone to bed upset. She knew better than to do so, but had felt so tired from their row that she had done it anyway.

She tried to focus on a happier memory while she made use of a relaxing tactic she had read in one of the books on PTSD.

Breathing in through her nose until her lungs were full she held her breath only to breath in some more until she was nearly bursting. When she couldn't hold it any longer she slowly let it go through her mouth. She continued it a few more times, lying back in her bed, focusing on a cherished memory with Draco. It was hard to focus on anything else but the feeling of Ron's blood running through her fingers. She knew if she looked at them she would be able to see it clearly. Dark red moister covering her arms and cloths, a small voice in the background crying and the laughter, always the crazy laughter.

Finally, a better memory surfaced. It had been their wedding night after Severus had bonded them in a small ceremony with only the three of them. Scorpius had slept through it all in another room and they had been able to say their vows without interruption.

Had Ginny still been alive Hermione would have asked her to be her maid of honour, and help her with her dress. As it was she had transfigured one of her plain dresses into something appropriated and had done her best to look lovely. The way Draco had looked at her when he saw her in her simple white long dressrobe had been worth spending all the time in the bath to tame her hair and make the best out of the few styling charms she had overheard Lavender use in their shared bath at Hogwarts years earlier. The ceremony was short and without glamour, just a few words spoken to reinforce the feeling they had for each other with magic. To bound them together as long as they lived and make them stronger of a unit.

Afterwards they had spent a better part of the night talking about what they would do, should Voldemort ever be defeated. Ideas were bounced around and they had argued good-naturedly about who would make the run for Minister, Draco, Hermione or Severus.

However for all of that, the part of the night she liked the most had been something different.

Draco had taken his time with her. Kissing her slowly but steadily on her lips while his hands roomed her body. It hadn't been their first time, but by fare one of the least hurried, and the sweetest.

Her arms had been wrapped around his neck while they lay in bed, playing with the hair in his neck, while her breast had been pressed against his chest. The kisses had a rough but sweet taste to them and had made her squirm to get closer to him.

When his hard on had rubbed against her she had gasped and wrapped one of her legs around him. He had stopped kissing her when he heard it and had smiled down at her.

She had used this distraction to get her hands up under his white shirt. Draco mostly looked calm and collected when they were around others but now it had been obvious that he could be different too. Hermione had tugged his shirt off over his head with her hands, while her mouth had planted small little kisses on his torso and his nipples that had made him arch into her. He had been made of ice-cool hair and perfect pale skin, with abs that proofed that he did work out. She had loved stroking him, to feel his soft skin under her hands. Next she had gone to his belt buckle to get rid of his trousers, making short work of the belt and the zipper on them. Her lips had fluttered over his pulse that beat rapidly against them when she had kissed him there. His hands had been working on getting her dress of, but she had been pressed against him to closely now for him to manage it. When she had continued kissing him wherever she could reach he had grown more and more tense with desire. She had known he was letting her call the tune and had been happy too, as long as he could savour it as much as she did.

"Please Hermione."

Draco had tried to get her attention and she had allowed him to push her back a bit to pull the dress off. His voice had been husky with desire and had turned her on even more. He had pulled her up to have them chest to chest afterwards and had continued kissing her in a way that made her head spin lightly with yearning.

Draco had shrugged his trousers off the rest of the way, after she had pushed it over his ass, which had left them only in their underwear. Being brave, Hermione had moved her hand into his briefs to brush her thumb across the head of his penis, making him suck in a breath. Hooking her fingers in his underwear she had gone down to get it down his legs while she had watched his reaction.

After coming up again she had run her hands through his hair, messing it up even more, relishing in seeing him this dishevelled. He had kissed her below her ear to her shoulder and pushed away her bra strap to continue his journey. Nicking her skin with his teeth lightly he had unhooked her bra to get rid of it, all the while had he never stopped planting small kisses on her skin. When he had gotten to her nipple he had wrapped his mouth around the small hard bud and sucked very lightly, first on one side, than the other. Moaning loudly Hermione had arched her back to give him better access and had pressed her wet centre against his hard penis.

They had continued exploring each other for some time, when Draco had finally got rid of her panties and trapped her under him. She had shivered, feeling the thrill of anticipation, when he had lifted her leg over his hip. Looking at each other they had savoured the moment when he had finally started to slide into her. Hermione had kissed him hard and gasped softly when she had felt him deep inside her, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He had lifted her up a bit, and she had arched her back and whispered his name, to get a better angle. His weight propped on one hand he had held her up with the other to keep from crashing her with his weight. She had smiled at his care and had grabbed his hair to drag him down in another kiss.

They had moved against each other in a lazy but fulfilling rhythm they had both enjoyed, small sounds of joy and satisfaction all that could be heard. Touches had been shared between them, kisses exchanged while the world around them had seemed to have stopped.

Little quivers could be felt when Hermione had gotten closer and closer to her orgasm until she had finally shattered. Her nails had dug into Draco's shoulders and he had arched his back when he felt her surrender to her pleasure, joining her shortly after with a groan.

They had both been breathing hard afterwards and Draco had rolled over to gather Hermione on top of him and cover them both with the sheets.

Coming back out her memory her breath was even and Hermione's panic had calmed down. Instead her heart hurt for what she had lost of the few good things life had given her. Would she ever go back to Draco's arms without shame to feel safe and loved? Could she accept the two kids this world had given her for her own? Should she literally let go of Aquila? So many questions were spinning in her head and making her sick. Her control over her feelings was lacking but she couldn't choke them all.

Running to the toilet she vomited until she cried and felt like her heart might hurt a little bit less.

* * *

 **I think it's rather intense but I hope it showes some insight.**


	38. Coming home for Christmas

**Chapter 38 – Going home for Christmas**

Rose groaned in frustration in front of the mirror in her dorm. Her hair looked like a birds nest and rendered every effort to tame it void. She knew she was out of conditioner when she went to shower this morning, but she never knew the outcome would be this bad. Just good it was the last day at school and they would board the Hogwarts Express on their way home for the winter holidays after breakfast.

"I can't go out like this." Rose moaned and covered her face. "Ian will laugh at me."

"Why didn't you use your hair products?", Mara asked slightly marvelled from behind her. She had never seen Rose's hair this wild and could understand why her friend was frustrated.

"It's empty."

"Want to use my sleekeazy? Might help a bit. Even if I'm sure Ian will think you cute no matter how your hair looks." Mara handed the tin towards Rose, but the girl only shook her head instead of taking it.

"Read the warning on the back.", she instructed and sighed again when she tried to brush her hair. It hurt more than it helped even with the brushing charm she had used.

"Unique results for gingers.", Mara read out loud and looked up in horror. "Sorry Rose, never saw that."

"My cousin Molly once tried it, ask her what happens, but don't be surprised should she start crying." Rose had the creeping horrors just remembering her cousin's cry of fright coming out of the bathroom after she had used it. Up to this day Molly Jr. still blamed her cousin Fred for putting it between her stuff. She had stayed locked in her room at the Burrow for two days afterwards and her grandma Molly had been the only one allowed to see her and bring food.

"That bad? But why didn't you get a new bottle of yours when you saw it was nearly finished?"

"My mom makes it for me.", Rose whispered and both girls looked at each other. Mara wasn't sure what to say, as Rose had never shared with her what happened with her mother. All she knew was that Rose's parents split up and that her friend blamed her mother for it. There was a lot of talk in the newspapers but Mara knew not to put too much trust into reporters. While visiting the Weasley's she had met Mrs. Granger-Weasley more than once and she was a strict but fair lady that could tell you off with just a glare. She was also the one that rolled her eyes whenever her husband read the Daily Prophet out loud and told him to stop believing every made up story they printed for sales figures.

"I'm sure she will give you a bottle if you ask her. Just ask her when you get home this evening." There was a long silence after Mara said it and she was unsure if it had been the right thing to say after she saw the hurt on Rose's face.

"Yes, my mother would, if she was there."

Vexed, Rose searched her makeup bag for a hair tie to wrestle her hair into a ponytail and threw the rest into her packed trunk. Her day wouldn't get better anyway.

XxX

"Welcome home!", Ginny greeted her kids at Platform 9 ¾. Lily ran towards her mother, the first to arrive. She was smiling and obviously happy to be home. Her small girl had grown an inch over the last weeks.

"Hurry James!", she called out to her brother who carried not just his trunk but hers too.

Ginny looked around waiting for her last child to arrive while she hugged Lily and James with a smile of her own. Harry was still at work and would meet them at home in a few hours. She knew how much he wanted to be here now and make sure that his children were fine and knew that their dad loved them.

"See you!", Jason Jordon shouted their way and Ginny turned towards him to see his father Lee greeting her with a nod and smile, she answered the same way. James gave his best friend a thumbs up and grinned.

"New year, new ideas.", James shouted back and she could only shake her head at his antics. She knew the trouble trio was well on their way to follow in her twin brother's footsteps of infamousness. For a moment she wondered where Ralph, the missing third member of their squad was, but the platform was full of students. In her head she sometimes asked herself if James wasn't a little bit too close to the way his namesake had been at that age. She just hoped there was a Lily somewhere out there for him to lash him.

When she finally spotted Albus it wasn't so much because of her son, but because of the tell-tale white blond tuft right beside him. The boys were still inseparable after all this years. While Harry and Draco still had their troubles, their sons were the opposite in every way.

She knew her husband wasn't too happy with the friend his youngest made, but sometimes she wasn't sure if it really had something to do with the Malfoy name, or if something else was going on. She liked Scorpius with his sober and well behaved behaviour even if the both of them always got into trouble together. Waving at the two of them she saw and ignored Albus' sour expression. They stayed back to say goodbye which gave her time to look around for her nephew and niece to make sure Ron was there to get them. She had wanted to offer taking them with her but Ron had never answered her, which made her worry. When Albus finally joined his family she had yet to spot them.

"Have you seen Rose and Hugo?", she asked bothered while trying to increase her height by standing on her tiptoe.

"Uncle Ron already left with them when you greeted Mr. Jordan. Didn't you see him?" Lily asked her mother bewildered, like she couldn't understand. "He stood right at the entrance and apparated with them."

"Yeh, Aunt Hermione stayed back at the castle. I thought she would take the train with us but she never entered. Guess we won't see her at Christmas." James quipped in and raised an eyebrow.

"You are stupid James, why would she. She can apparate from Hogsmeade to wherever she wants." Lily defended their aunt and glared at James for making jokes about a family matter like this.

"Orrrr, she stays there because she isn't as bright as everyone thinks and messed up. Haven't you read all the rumours?" James knew how to rile up his sister and his smile grew even bigger when he saw Lily's hair sizzling in annoyance. She had burned more than one of the Daily Prophets with the rumours on the front page, telling Rose to ignore all the idiots believing it when she had been close to tears at breakfast not too long ago.

"Lily, James, stop fighting. We'll clear this up at home." Ginny's voice carried an undertone both her children took to heart. Some of the parents around them looked their way a tiny bit too interested in their conversation for Ginny's liking.

Hugging Albus to her Ginny finally greeted him too. "Welcome home my darlings." And while Albus made it look like he was embarrassed by his mother's public display of love he hugged her back tightly.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **So we finally have Christmas coming up, yey! Don't mind that it's nearly Whitsun. ;)**


	39. Ron's visit at the Burrow

**Chapter 39 – Ron's visit at the Burrow**

"Rose, Hugo!"

The voice of the Weasley Matriarch could be heard through the house, while she hurried towards her grandchildren. Ron had picked them up from Hogwarts Express and brought them right over.

The Burrow was warm and filled with various decorations for the upcoming holiday. There were hollies woven together to swag on the walls and a Christmas tree, still without decoration, set up in a corner.

It was the first time since his divorce Ron was back home with his mother. He had avoided contact for weeks now and was happy to use the children to put a stop to any talk about his ex-wife. There were still many letters at his family home from his mother he hadn't even opened. They piled up on the kitchen counter after he took them from the owls Molly insisted on sending towards him.

Just the letter Hermione had sent him had been read, why he wasn't sure himself.

He had been so angry after seeing her in Hogwarts. She had talked like a snotty know-it-all without any capability for empathy. Since she had wanted the supposed best for their children his thought might be harsh, but Ron couldn't help himself. It had felt like a punch in the groin to see how detached Hermione was.

His anger had cooled down when he got her short letter the next day. It wasn't much, just a short plea to take care of the children on Christmas, to have fun with them and a written apology for her behaviour. It hadn't made it right, but at least she had made an effort. Ron guessed that was all he could hope for after seeing her reaction up close. The woman he had met was broken and had thrown his world into chaos.

He was used to go to bed before her and wake up after she had left for work. The silence at home was nothing new when he spent time there. But to wake up in the middle of the night and find the bed empty and cold? To see the food he cooked untouched the next morning? The coffee table that lacked towers of papers from her work?

Small things drove home that she truly left him. To go to work to see all the happy faces buying items to make them laugh seemed to break him. To spend Christmas with his family without arguing with Hermione appeared virtually impossible. All he wanted to do was to be a child again and curl up into a ball in his bed and shout, rage and cry. Merlin knew he had always felt better afterwards when he was young.

"I'll see you in a few days. Have a good time with grandma." Just like that Ron was gone and left behind his mother with tears in her eyes, while his kids looked at the spot he had stood moments ago in shock.

Rose stormed up the stairs and threw the door closed behind her so loud that it could be heard all through the Burrow. Even the small spider in her cobweb Molly had missed while cleaning the house fled to hide in a hole in the wall.

"Can you look after her grandma?" Hugo inquired sadly and took a few steps away from the red haired woman. He knew his sister would take it much worse than him that their dad left them like this. Where Hugo never wanted as much attention from his parents, and preferred to spend his time with a good book, Rose was different.

She thrived on attention and loved to spend as much time as she could with her dad. She was a daddy's child for as long as Hugo could remember. Hugo wasn't as emotional as her and found his dad a bit taxing from time to time. His mother was stricter than their dad and got lost in her own thoughts often, but her quiet company was more welcome. He loved his parents, but there was nothing more annoying than their loud arguing when all he wanted to do was finish his book and sleep.

He knew it hadn't always been like this, but for him his parents' break up was something that could make his life easier. It would take time, but Hugo was sure everyone would be much happier afterwards. Where his sister looked at the here and now, Hugo was focused on the outcome. He tried to see the situation from the outside and judge it without involving too much emotions. He didn't like or agree with how his parents handled it, but he tried to understand.

He felt bad for his dad, nonetheless he could understand that the situation was new and hard on him and Ron would settle into it eventually. His mother might be off even worse with her misplaced memory, but it wasn't her fault it happened.

Rose was a lot more sentimental even if she hated to crack. The opinions of others mattered a lot to Rose and she suffered from it at school a lot since their mother housed in Hogwarts. The whispered rumours, the suspicions in the Daily Prophet and the pity in the eyes of their classmates rattled his sister more than she let on. Hugo wasn't sure if she had told anyone about her situation, by the way her best friend watched her he was inclined to think that she hadn't. That's why he had hoped that Lucy was able to talk to Rose. Maybe there would be a chance while the holidays now.

Molly watched Hugo for a few moments before she got up.

"Sometimes I wonder about who's the older sibling."

Hugo smiled at her and took his trunk to get it up the stairs but Molly waved him off.

"Just take a book my dear and settle down here. Let your grandma take care of the rest."

She hugged him again tightly and Hugo knew it was more for herself than him and let it happen, even if he didn't like the way he struggled to breath.

* * *

 **AN: I feel for Ron...**


	40. A visitor

**Chapter 40 – A Visitor**

"Anything new?"

An emotionless female voice echoed through the barely furnished room. The house was cold and dark, but for the small fire burning in this unprepossessing room. Since there was no one to spend time here, it was just used to meet up, there was no reason to change anything. Delphini saw it as an expression of how she felt within - barren, unloved, forgotten.

Mr. Diggory provided for any need she had, thinking of her as a long lost family member. He had been so easy to manipulate, his hate-filled mind destroyed by the death of his son so many years ago. He would accept anyone who agreed with him blaming Harry Potter. The boy who had lived to kill her father, twice.

There was a reason she had sent Crow to watch over the younglings. Whenever she saw the younger copy the murderer she wanted to do nothing more than outright kill Albus Potter, just to pay her respect to his father. She wanted him to suffer like she had, by repaying him in kind, but for now she needed the boy alive for her quest. He was the key to the sodding prophesy she had to fulfil. The last gift her mother's husband had given her, the curse of her life. How she longed to be the one to bring her father back, but instead was limited to watch and manipulate.

So many years she had to wait for her tokens to be ready to start her game and now she had to watch two of them messing up her very plan.

"They are planning, but they are nothing but children. Your latest visit was fruitful to remind them that this isn't a game. Still the young Malfoy is scared, but Albus keeps him in line."

The dark deep voice from the window came from her companion, who stood hidden in the shadows of the moon. Cold wind blew in from where he stood and Delphi closed the shutters with a wave of her wand to keep the icy weather outside. Without the light from outside to make his silhouette visible he blended into the dark.

"Can you keep a watch on him over the holidays?"

The question was tricky. They both knew that the Potter House was unplottable and without being given the address, it was as good as invisible to outsiders. A nice way to keep the reporters from your own door.

Crow had the best chances to get near them as a bird, but she knew he was not perfect.

"Not the Potters, but Malfoy Manor is doable." He admitted and hung his head awaiting his punishment for failing Delphi. She just watched him unseeing.

"Stay at Hogwarts and see if you can find the Time Turner." Delphi decided after pondering his answer. The Malfoy's were uninteresting. An old pureblood family fallen from grace. The oldest had fled to France in shame and the Heir was a disgrace to the House Slytherin. Their days in the service of the Dark Lord were counted and Delphi would make sure her father would know about their betrayal of his vision for the future. Maybe she would keep the youngest alive to make good of their money for their case. No campaign could be fulfilled without, something she had grown to hate when she was denied entry to the Lastrange vault. As an illegitimate child she was no heir to the vault after her mother's husband had died. Her real father's vault couldn't be claimed without calling attention to herself, and she was sure everything inside was confiscated by the Ministry anyway. All of this had left her without a gallon to her name as a child, thrown away to a children's home she had fled at every turn. The path that had set her to her mission and meeting Crow. Sometimes she forgot her companion had even a name. He was her dupe to accomplish her goal.

"Go!" Delphi ordered him with a wave of her hand and watched the fire crackle in the fireplace. Her mind was spinning her next move already. If he was successful she would make sure to wipe out Harry Potter with the help of his son, with the Imperius if she had too. How she hated waiting.

"As you wish."

Suddenly the window was torn open and a black Crow could be seen leaving the old house. To any muggle nothing more than a small black shadow in the dark sky, from time to time highlighted by the dim moonlight. Bats weren't that uncommon in this area, but this distal from civilisation that was supposed to see a crow flying at night anyway.

XxX

It was a quiet and cold in London the evening two nights before Christmas. Ginny was out with the children, setting them up at her parents place, to spend a night with all their cousins. Even Albus had joined without a hitch, after he had avoided his family since coming home from school.

The sleepover at the Burrow was a tradition by now and the kids loved it. They would get their grandparents presents in the morning, one day early, and ride a sugar high afterwards with Molly's special breakfast. The family was really big by now so the dinner on Christmas Eve would be held without present. Fifteen grandchildren and their parents unpacking presents would be beyond the scope of the Burrow, to Molly's heartbreak. Now the smaller families spend Christmas morning together at home and the dinner was where they celebrated.

Harry was more than surprised when he caught the sound of his doorbell long before he expected Ginny back. Standing up from his seat in the kitchen he sat down his cup of tea and his work related papers to answer the door.

* * *

 **A cliffhanger for you. The next chapter will be a long one.**


	41. A heavy burden of guilt

**Chapter 41 - A heavy burden of guilt**

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, surprised to see his friend on his doorstep. She didn't look worse than the last time he had seen her, but what worried him was that she didn't look much better either. She was still thin, her eyes were dull and her hair kind of lustreless. At least her robe was nice and made her look similar to normal, even if it was way too thin for this kind of weather.

"Sorry for dropping in on you like this."

Harry took a step back to let Hermione come inside from the cold. Her hands were buried in her pockets and her nose was red from the cold already.

"You came to talk to Ginny?" Harry asked when she took of her frock-coat, a thin but beautiful dark green one with stitchery. For a moment it looked like Hermione wanted to keep it close to herself but then she gave it to Harry, who hung it up on their hall stand. There was no reason to feel threatened in this house. Her hands brushed the embroidery, when she passed her coat, to follow Harry further inside.

"No. I think I came to talk to you." Her answer came out in a hesitative voice, but she looked at Harry and became sure it was the right thing to do.

"Oh, I just thought you would prefer her. You never sought me out since... you know, you came back. Nothing beside a few letters about work." Harry offered and went up the stairs while Hermione followed him.

"I know. Sometimes I talked to you back there. Not really you, but the you I kept in my heart. You were my confidant even after your death." There was a short break and Harry looked behind himself to see why Hermione stopped talking, but she only shook her head with another sad smile.

"When Ron visited a few days ago we had..., no I sought a fight. I blamed him for things I guess he never did. I can't keep pushing everyone away because it's easier than accepting."

There was another short break from Hermione's side, but Harry didn't interrupt her. He merely opened the door to the library and directed her towards the big open space near the door. Cosy brown leather chairs surrounded a deep red and gold carpet with the Potter crest in the middle. An old heirloom Harry found in his parents vault. He knew Hermione would be comfortable in this room, or he hoped so. Some things with her were just too different from the Hermione he knew.

"I need to look forward again so I wanted to meet you. As you died two decades ago when I see you it's easier to accept this."

"When I think about what you are going through I feel like I failed my son even more. You can't believe how sorry I am for what happened to you Hermione. I hope you know it."

Harry felt his heart sink just thinking about why his son had stolen the time turner.

"I'll do what I can to make it up to you." He promised her while their eyes met. Sitting down Hermione shook her head yet again.

"Not everything that happens is your fault Harry. It never was, you can't safe us all. Yes, your son should have known better, but I agreed to remedy his wrong and this is the outcome. The best we can do is to love our children and patiently show them a better way. It's something I struggle with myself at the moment."

Hermione admitted it in a small voice, ashamed of how she treated the family she chose when there was no war around. She knew she had tried with Hugo, who was very similar to herself, but Rose and her had clashed badly. Her hope was on a small letter, but she would not know until later.

"Albus didn't even want to eat with us, he was the first out the door today when Ginny announced they would leave for the Burrow." Harry announced while he looked at his hands. "I think he hates me. Maybe not me, but the baggage I come with. The fame was always too much for him, even when he was small. He liked to hide rather than stand up front like James. I tried to make sure he knew Slytherin was just as fine as every other house after he was sorted, but with the friend he made I think my own prejudices made me act in a way that belied my words. To think that Malfoy and me could be friends is just outside of my comfort zone. To think that you married him and had a child boggles my mind."

Hermione smirked in a way that made Harry's hair stand up. "They grow on you, trust me. Draco is very intelligent and cunning, you should have heard him when he helped me planning. His ideas..." Hermione broke off and her face got a faraway look as she got lost in her own thoughts. Many different emotions crossed her face while she remembered, but she didn't continue.

"Will you tell me about Ron, too? You never mention him." Harry sounded tired. He sat back in his chair to relax his strained muscles.

Hermione's voice was small now and she closed her eyes before she started telling Harry what went down years ago. The longer she was here the more she hoped it was just a nightmare she could forget one day.

"Ron, as you might have imagined, was never happy with the arrangement we had with Severus. He was gravely injured when we were rescued from Hogwarts and woke up in a small room with most of his family dead. I told you about my reaction when Draco came to us with Scorpius. It was derisory compared to the one Ron had, when he saw me with the child in my arms. It got even worse after Ginny got killed."

With a shudder Hermione remembered that night. How many hours she had spent snapping at Ron. Draco had been in hours before and it was before they got close. Back then they could barely stand each other and seeing him granted on her nerves.

"It was on a mission I had planned with the information I got from Draco. When Ginny didn't come back I feared for the worst. It had been essential that she was on time. Ron and I waited for her and Dean together, but they never came. Only Severus, a day later."

A silent tear rolled down Hermione's face, but she carried on, ignoring it.

"Ron grew bitter and got reckless afterwards. He wanted to kill as many Death Eaters as he could, without waiting for orders. George joined him and they went on suicide missions, one after another. I was afraid for them, but Ron didn't talk to me after I defended Draco for the mission Ginny had died on. If it was anyone's mistake, it was mine. I know my mind was occupied by the baby I took care of. Ginny dotted on him too. The days between Scorpius' arrival and her death I saw her laugh again, for the first time since Harry's death. Ron had stayed clear of us, but never said something. He was happy to see his sister come out of her depression. The night of the failed mission was grim. We didn't know what was going on, just that she and Dean weren't on time. It took Severus a whole day to contact us unnoticed. They started to raid earlier than planned, and their escape route failed them. I hadn't given them a plan B. George closed down and shut himself, while Ron raged on and on. He told me to give the baby to him. He wanted to make Draco feel the loss of a family member too. His grief made him say and do many stupid things that night after Ginny's death. But you asked for the reason I can't look at Ron anymore. The truth is I understood him to a certain degree. I was angry, but focused on planning. There were people depending on me, a baby that needed attention. So time went on, until the night Ron and George overdid it. Another mission they went berserk on. But this time only Ron came back, if you can call it that. He Apparated, long after they were supposed to be back. It was horrific to see. He was coted over and over in blood, laughing, while his broken wand shattered to the ground. Half of his body was covered by boils and his left side had splinched when he Apparated. I have no idea how he even Apparated with his broken wand. We had some potions, Severus provided us with most of them, that I could use. Dittany's essence was at hand, but Ron told me to save it. He had lost a lot of blood and caught it up too. Burn wounds were on his hand and covered the skin that was free of boils. He didn't want to be saved. He knew he was way beyond saving and came back to let me see him die. He laughed and told me it was what I deserved for trusting Draco and Severus. I still tried to save him with everything I had anyway. Spending days and sometimes weeks alone I had read any book available. There were so many spells on healing, but his wounds were done by dark magic. It wouldn't have been a fast death, nor was it a clean one. The boils kept growing and eating away his skin. The burn marks devoured his bones and his left side bled on the carpet."

Hermione knew she had to confess the rest. She had started to tell the truth, now she needed to finish. That didn't make it any easier on her. All logic defied her, her reasoning never helped against the small voice in her head. She was a murderer. Her fight against the upcoming panic kept her from talking for a few moments. She had to concentrate on her breathing until she was able to continue. Closing her eyes, so she wouldn't see Harry she had to collect herself. She hated when she lost control like this and others could witness it. It took her longer than normal to come back from the attack, but Harry stayed silent, unsure about what was going on. Hermione kept telling herself it was over until she was calm enough to open her eyes again.

"I Avada'ed him Harry. I don't know how many hours I spend at his side, while he rambled on and on. He told me that he loved me and that I betrayed him. Never before had we talked about more than friendship between us, I always thought it was his dislike for Draco that made us grow apart. Scorpius cried a lot, but I ignored him. When Ron started his hate speech a third or fourth time I cried with my son. I couldn't watch him suffer anymore. He couldn't talk without problems, switching between telling me he loved me and would die, to blaming everyone. I told him I would end his suffering and he smiled at me. He made me snap by telling me to do it or he would kill that bastard's child next door with bare hands as soon as he could get up. Scorpius was barely a year old. I left Ron's body and shut myself into Scorpius' room until Draco and Severus came hours later. I never knew I could be a killer until then. I always thought I missed the intent to use an Unforgivable. Since then I know better."

Harry didn't know if Hermione even noticed she had started crying, but handed her a tissue. His heart broke for his friends and he understood why she never talked about it. He had killed a few times at the battle and even more as an Auror, but never with the Killing Curse. Still, even without it, killing wasn't something that was done lightly and he never wanted to know what else Ron had said to make Hermione hate him enough to kill him.

"Ron and George had a simple mission. Rescue as many innocent as possible before the raid began. They knew at what time the Death Eaters were supposed to turn up. When they Apparated, they were alone, so I know they had to have stayed back on purpose. Ron wanted revenge on Draco. He killed Pyrites Jr when the raid started, while shouting for Draco to come out and fight him. He nearly gave Draco away as a spy. Severus had to use a silence spell on him, while the other Death Eaters were still confused by the ambush. Ron's non-verbal spells were weak, and Ron knew it. Still he fought on, instead of Disapparating. Crabbe and Avery got him in the end, while Draco wasn't even on the raid. Jugos had killed George from behind within the first minute. When they broke his wand they lifted the silence spell to taunt him. They wanted answers, but Ron took the broken wand and Apparated, leaving only his left arm behind. Severus told me the Dark Lord had been furious with them afterwards, because they forgot the wards to prevent him from fleeing. He only left them alive after he saw the state Ron was in, in their memories. Draco blamed old school rivalries and insaneness on Ron's behaviour. Ron didn't just risk his own life, he risked everyone's with his foolishness. That's the reason I can't look at him anymore. I'll always try to remember I loved him and thought of him as a friend, but I know the length he would go on a temper tantrum, without regret and foresight. Looking back now, maybe all the Killing Curses he cast himself made him insane. We knew better than to use it but he was broken by the deaths around him, in more than one way. And I killed him Harry, I killed my best friend, and maybe it was mercy, but I feel sick about it. It might be true that you split your soul with every kill, but killing a friend rips it apart. All I wanted was for it to be over."

Harry didn't know how he should react, but he could feel the tears in his own eyes. He stood up and walked to stand in front of Hermione. There he kneeled down and hugged her to him, while they shared the burden of her history in silence.

Hermione spent that night in a guestroom at the Potter's, after Ginny found her husband and her friend, both in tears, in her library when she came home. She had given them tea with a calming draught and sent them to bed like she would with her children, after seeing how utterly defeated they looked.

Harry had known there was a big chasm between the Hermione he knew and loved and this terror ridden soul, but he hadn't known how deep her struggle ran.

She didn't fully believe she had left everything behind her and it kept her apart from her friends and family here. In her resentment it looked like she was sabotaging herself from gaining any happiness. To have her talk to him might be the first step, but Harry feared it would be hard to make her believe she was safe and loved because she was searching for it in places she had known before and that didn't exist.

Not only did he struggle with the picture she painted of Ron, but he couldn't see her with Malfoy either. For him Ron and Hermione had always belonged together. They were his best friends, had always been at his side, even after they had grown up.

In bed he spent hours talking to Ginny about what Hermione had told him. They spent the night in each other's arms thinking, getting nearly no sleep. Ginny, about how she could help, and Harry about how lucky he was to have the love and the support of his family and friends.

When they finally fell asleep it was not for long, but Hermione was gone.

* * *

 **AN: I promised some more Draco x Hermione, but you'll have to wait until next week for it. Today is all about Hermione and Ron, for thoose who wondered.**


	42. A dream of memories

**Chapter 42 – A dream of memories**

 _"Granger!"_

 _The voice boomed through the underground rooms, but to Hermione it sounded far away. All she could see was the man in her arms, who looked like a horror-movie version of himself. Covered in blood, boils and burns, he lay motionless. His green eyes were open, but lifeless._

 _"Why is my son crying like a banshee, you..."_

 _Suddenly there was silence again. Hermione wanted to look up, she was sure she knew the voice, but her eyes were unable to move from where they were drawn. Maybe she cried, but she wasn't sure. Time had stopped moving on for her. Her wand lay forgotten beside her, while her hands were buried in slick red blood._

 _"Shit!"_

 _Then there was movement that came into focus, and instead of all the red, she saw white blond hair. Everything came back to her and now Hermione was sure she was crying just as hard as Scorpius in the background. How could she have not heard him? His small voice sounded hoarse and was louder than ever._

 _"Severus could have warned me. Fuck!"_

 _"Don't curse when your son can hear you." To advise Draco was something so normal to her, she never had to think about it. The words tumbled out of her before she had registered what happened._

 _The body was taken from her, but she was too focused on the new visitor now to notice it. His robes were black, like always, and flawless. His hair had been freshly shingled and had not yet dried from his shower. It was a lot shorter than the last time she'd seen him. His movements were precise and he shielded her from any further view with his body._

 _Severus must have sent him as soon as possible, something Hermione was grateful for. Else she would still sit here in shock and do nothing but stare. When she tried to move her limbs protested. She felt stiff and too heavy to stir._

 _"If you are lucid again, look after Scorpius." Draco snapped at her. For the first time today she wasn't worried or sad, she was pissed. Why did he think he could order her around? The last few hours had been hell for her and he was his usual prissy self._

 _"How dare you!" Hermione snapped right back at him. Before she could go into a full-out rage he cleaned the blood on her face and his tired eyes met hers._

 _"Look after him and I'll look after this." His voice was harsh, but the words to answer him were stunk in her throat. Draco wasn't calm, but the way he reacted to the scene, hardened and jaded, gave Hermione the shivers. How many dead had he seen, how much horror?_

 _She could still remember when he had joined them down here the first time. The pure angst on his face, the tears in his angry eyes, the hopelessness. Now he wore a mask, something she believed Severus had thought him._

 _In the background Scorpius wailed and Hermione turned around without another word. She didn't know how to react to his offer to help, no matter how he had voiced it. Because she knew she wouldn't be able to do what he did for her now, to take care of the body of the person she killed, the last of her once close friends._

 _Entering the small room she slept in, she found Scorpius in his cot. He stood on his feet and had grabbed the lattice to balance himself. His little face was red and swollen and it made Hermione's heart hurt to see how long she had ignored him._

 _"Hey little man." She lifted him out of the cot and knew moments later that he needed a new napkin dearly. Taking her wand out, she transfigured the upper part of his bed into a shelf, with a changing mat on top. Scorpius always made it hard for her to lay him down, but after a year she knew how to manage him._

 _Pulling everything but his wellbeing from her mind she concentrated on him._

 _"If you want out of the dirty nappy you need to cooperate." Hermione told him as a matter of fact, and after a few more cries he stopped to kick. She never was one who believed in talking to kids in baby voice. He looked up to her and their eyes met, brown and grey. Hermione smiled down at her little buddle and he settled down._

 _With a practised hand she had him out of his rompers in no time and tickled his tummy. She would need to change all his clothes and maybe the bed too. The diaper was overflowed. Cleaning him up by hand she took her time to wipe away the tears too._

 _"Aren't you a witch?" Came the drawl from the door and the dirty, smelly napkin vanished. "That's gross Granger."_

 _Hermione knew Malfoy stood right behind her, she could feel his warmth in her back. Rolling her eyes she went to finish what she started by hand and redressed Scorpius in a new playsuit. She ignored Malfoy to the best of her abilities, but his breath in her neck while he watched her, made her shiver._

 _"It's just a napkin Malfoy. Man up!"_

 _Hermione turned around and lifted Scorpius right into his father's arms. She felt too raw to bicker with him, but it was Malfoy. Somehow she felt better by doing it, even if she would never tell him he made her feel at ease, even if it was just for a small moment._

 _"The day you stop being so soft Granger."_

 _They looked into each other's eyes, brown met grey again, but this time Hermione looked away ashamed. She knew she had lost it today, something that couldn't happen with her little buddle of joy around. She wasn't just responsible for herself. That was the reason Ron was dead, the reason she killed him. A sob escaped her, but she shook herself to clear her mind. Now was not the time._

 _Before she could drift off into her self-loathing Scorpius opened his little arms and tried to hug her from his father's arms. As if he could feel she needed it._

 _Draco snorted, but took the step to Hermione to make it possible for his son to hug her. Awkward they stood together with Scorpius pressed between them, while Hermione bit her lip to keep from crying again._

 _"Merlin, just cry Granger. I can't have you sob all over my son once I'm gone"_

 _Draco sounded annoyed, but suddenly Hermione found herself in his arms, with his small son in her own. His body was hard against hers, and she could feel that he must be quite fit underneath his robe. In the position she was in now she could see the oxford and the tie he wore under his robe, a perfect Windsor._

 _Cursing herself for thinking about something like that, after what she had done today, she confessed what happened. She didn't know what kind of reaction she wanted, but not this warm, friendly hug._

 _"I killed him." She whispered and a few of the tears she had held back escaped. Her anger, that had helped her to keep her other feelings at bay, had vanished._

 _"His hate killed him, maybe his stupidity, but not you Granger. You are a goody two-shoes. You couldn't even kill me if I suddenly attacked you."_

 _Hermione knew Malfoy believed her to be just as he said, his arrogant inflexion told her as much. It nearly made her smile that he thought she was a good person. Her answer was nothing more than a wisp in the air, as if saying it out loud would make it more real. But it was her reality now, the plain fact that she was a murderer._

 _Even if it had been to keep someone else safe Ron had been her friend and ally. They had spent years at each other's side, good and bad. When he had started to drift off she had noticed it, but hadn't wanted to look into it. Hermione knew what grief could do to people, and accepted the way Ron handled it. She had decided that if it made him feel better to snap at her, she could live with it. It had been a small price to pay for all her failures._

 _Ginny had died because she had forgotten to give her a way out in case of emergency. Now Ron had died by her wand, because she hadn't known another way out._

 _"I killed him with the Unforgivable."_

 _"What?" Draco shouted and Scorpius frightened into crying. Her focus shifted from her own problems to her charge and she glared at Draco in annoyance._

 _Somehow he made it easy to replace her anxieties with anger. She'd rather feel upset, than the pit of grief that tried to consume her._

 _"Granger, you better stop crying and talk." Draco ordered her, while taking his son back. The warmth of their embrace vanished and suddenly Hermione wished she could have kept it. No matter who he was, it had been warm and comforting._

 _To be in his arms had been different from the comfort she got from hugging the toddler he currently carried. They didn't get along for longer than they had to and bickered all the time, but for the first time in a long while a man had his arms around her._

 _Blushing Hermione channelled her embarrassment into anger, not acknowledging the underlying feelings she harboured for Malfoy since a few meetings. The way he made her feel alive and the fun she had when they argued were of no importance. They had a war at hands and it had cost them more than one fighter._

 _"Ron didn't die from his wounds. He died by my wand. Maybe I could have rescued him. If I had tried harder I'm sure he would be alive."_

 _"Granger, I'm quite sure you lack any intention you need to cast that spell."_

 _Malfoy didn't sound as self-confident as normal and she could see the doubt in his eyes._

 _"Most likely he bled out. You did your best. That was more dark magic than any medic witch could have healed."_

 _Hermione was sure it was the first time Malfoy had ever tried to soothe her, and to hear it made her feel slightly better, but the guilt didn't vanish._

 _"I'm sure there would have been something I could have done. I need to read the books on healing again. There are counters for these curses."_

 _She knew she rambled, but her head went ten miles a minute and now she couldn't stop herself. Had she missed a text about dark magic? Severus had given her several to help her studies, but she hadn't read anything about boils and burns. Had it been a mix of different skills she hadn't countered because they reacted to each other in unknown ways?_

 _Hermione hurried from her bedroom back to the front where she came up short. The floor was spotless and nothing hinted at what had happened here not too long ago._


	43. RIP Fred Weasley, here comes Fred

**Chapter 43 – R.I.P. Fred Weasley, here comes Fred Weasley the Second**

 _(The same evening as Hermione's visit at the Potters)_

XxX

The overnighters at the Burrow were sated and sitting together in the big parlour to spend time together, until everyone left for his own room to sleep. Molly and Arthur had left the kids to their own to take a postprandial walk, which left fifteen teenagers and young adults to fend for themselves.

Teddy and Victoire had smiled at each other and went for their own walk - their cousins and siblings dubbed it a make out session - around the pod not far from the Burrow. Since their wedding was just a little over three months away they loved to talk about it and most of the teenagers just had enough of it. They were not sad to see them go.

Dominique, Victoire's younger sister, sat together with Molly Jr. and Roxanne, while they talked about fashion. Fred Jr., George and Angelina's oldest, was setting up his next mischief not far from them, most likely targeting his sister and her cousins, but they didn't notice. James helped him by keeping the girls from looking his way. He was just his normal flashy self in front of them and kept their attention from Fred. Much like his father, Fred made the most of his magic since his 17th birthday and liked to prank every member of the family.

Arthur Jr., Lucy's older Gryffindor brother, watched the whole thing calculating, most likely not sure if he should intervene or not. He wanted to protect his older sister Molly from his cousin's pranks, but he disliked to be the next victim, the most likely payback with Fred if you messed up his plans. And some of Fred's pranks were rather funny to watch, so there was a chance it wasn't even worth it.

Rose was talking to Lily, and Hugo watched them interact from the chair in the farthest corner. Lucy sat next to him in silence, concentrated on a book she had brought with her from school.

Albus sat next to the girls, but didn't join the conversation for the most part.

"I hate this Christmas." Rose said while glaring at the others around her.

"It's not that bad Rose." Lily reassured her but was unsure about Rose's bad mood. When Ginny brought them over Rose and Hugo had been here already and from what Lily had gathered they had been for two days already. Their Mom and Dad hadn't revealed much about the situation at Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's, but it looked even worse than it sounded.

"Spoil the mood outside Rose, mine is bad enough for this room." Albus remarked while he rolled his eyes at his cousin's attitude. At least he catered to his moods in silence.

"Ohh, poor Albus. The middle child that feels unloved because he ended up a snake. Let me tell you something you ungrateful brat. You got picked up at the station, got hugged and your parents spent time with you, after all you've done. And if you have forgotten: you made my mum forget about me. My mum!"

Rose's face was read and everyone around her was stock-still at her outburst, looking between her and Albus, whose face was blank.

"Rose?" Lucy was the only one who spoke, setting her book down and looking at the smaller girl.

Hugo stood up to stand next to his sister and tried to hug her clumsy, but she turned away and left the room. No one followed her, they all knew she had a temper to behold and was best left alone to cool down.

"Anyone else wants to shout at me while we're at it?" Albus asked bored and got glared at for it. It was one of the reasons they mostly stayed clear of him. Where the others argued and shouted he sat back and observed, never taking a side. He never invested himself to anything, just made some snarky comments. That it helped them come to a decision was not something most of them valued.

"Good." After looking around Albus stood up from his seat and left the room through the other door.

James glared after his brother.

"What an ass." He spat but was silenced by his sister.

"Look who's talking."

Accusing Albus of his calmness was one of the main reasons why James bullied him. The brothers were as different as they could be and Lily knew it just too well. She had been the peace bringer between them more than once.

Going after her middle brother, Lily left the room too. She knew behind his façade, Albus had been hurt by Rose.

Those who stayed back resumed their talking, when suddenly there was a loud bang, leaving Dominique, Molly and Roxanne showered in sparkling snow that stuck to their hair.

"Fred!" Dominique and Roxanne clamoured, while Molly looked at a strand of her hair in horror.

"Not my hair again!" She cried and turned around with her wand out, hexing Fred's hair bright green.

"Tell me how to get this off. NOW!"

Laughing the accused ran from the room, shouting a happy "Merry Christmas everyone" in a sing song that was totally off tune.

XxX

Upstairs Lily passed the closed door of Rose's room and joined Albus in her Uncle Ron's old room. He shared it with Hugo and their brother. It was clear upon entering which bed belonged to James, because the other two were still tidy and not full of Quidditch gear. Dirty Quidditch gear to be exact. Rose frowned but didn't want to think about her big brother sleeping with the filthy lines.

"Did you need to rill her up like that?" She asked and sat down on the bed next to her brother who fidgeted around with his wand. Instead of answering, Albus just looked at her, waiting for her to carry on. He knew his sister well enough to know there was more coming.

"I don't blame you, you know. Even if our parents never told James and me the whole story about what went down I know you don't have a mean bone in your body. Not for a lack of trying of course. You can be a real ass if you want to be and I dislike the way you handle some situations. Anyway you are my brother and that doesn't change because you are a Slytherin. Dad always said they are the most cunning, and I can see that in you for sure. You would be lost with us lions, we would run you over. I guess these family meetings can be harsh in a way."

Albus sighed in annoyance.

"Are you done yet? I know I can't get rid of you Sis, else I would have sold you when you were a toddler."

Lily hit her brother and he hit her back, but it was without strength, just a friendly battle between siblings. Slumping into bed they looked at the celling and Albus laughed when Lily started to tickle him, knowing all his weak spots. He tried to fight back but had no energy left, he needed it all to laugh. Lifting his hands in surrender to make her stop he gasped for air and glared at Lily.

"See, you can only admit defeat in an all-out attack." Her voice was a singsong and she knew better than to stay where she was. Jumping up she went to the door and turned around before closing it behind her.

"Good night Albus."

Still short of breath Albus waved at her and listened to the low click accompanying her leaving.


	44. The reason why

**Chapter 44 – The reason why**

"I think it's my fault they divorced." Rose admitted to Lucy, and bit her lips while she did.

She was sitting outside the Burrow, wrapped in a thick blanket, staring at the sky. Lucy, Lily and her shared a room, but she had left in the middle of the night, after faking to sleep when they joined her hours earlier. She hadn't been sure if she wanted to talk about it, however words tumbled out of her mouth when she had seen Lucy join her. Her tall cousin had sat down at her side and wrapped an arm around her with a sad smile.

"I think you are taking no account of your parents being adults, even if they don't act as such currently. They made their own decisions and all we can do is accept them." Lucy tried to be the voice of reason and was ignoring what Lily had shouted at Albus. She was never noisy and Lily loved that about her.

"Hugo never talked about it last year, but he made a comment on the train to school this year. Something I threw in my parents' face when I was called to the Headmistress Office in October." Rose looked at Lucy when she confessed what she had told them:

"I asked them if they would finally divorce." Looking back towards the gardens around the Burrow she remembered her train ride with Hugo. The ride felt like it had been ages ago, not just four months. On her own first year, she had been agitated, very different from her shy and quiet brother. She had decided against sitting with her cousins in favour of finding friends of her own age. Maybe it had been because Albus had sat down with Malfoy, a boy her father had warned her against. Exploring the train for the first time had been such a nice feeling, she hadn't felt like sitting down at all. And the trolley witch with all her sweets had been just as great as her Dad had always told her. But Hugo's first ride had been nothing like hers. After entering the train he had trailed after her and sat down at the window, looking outside without seeing anything, until he took out a book and got lost in reading.

"Hugo didn't said much on the train, just that he hoped for Ravenclaw, because he wanted some quietness. After asking why, he let it drop that it might be best if our parents split instead of trying in vain to make their partnership work. I knew they quarrelled a lot, always had, but I never knew how bad it got until Hugo said something. For him to complain it must have been really bad at home."

"I know it doesn't look like it now, but don't you think it will be better then? Give them time to come to terms with their new arrangement. Give yourself time to spend with both of them, maybe they are more relaxed and happy and you can see that it was for the best. Didn't your parents always support you? Now you need do be strong for them and help them, by showing you accept the way they solved their problems. I'm sure your Mom will remember you, and even if she doesn't, you have a chance to get to know each other anew. It might be awkward, but I'm sure she doesn't hate you."

Lucy was always a voice of reason, looking to solve the situation, where Rose was blinded by her own feelings. Without knowing the whole story, she knew what was Lily's deepest fear and had named it.

"I ran off the last time I talked to Mom. She hasn't talked to me since then. Funny, it's the same reaction Dad had, he just ran off too. He didn't even hug us when he met us at the station."

The parallels in their behaviour hadn't occurred to Rose until now. Suddenly she felt bad for blaming him for it, when she did the same whenever she felt pressured. Maybe it was because he was a role model for her and she hated to see that he was imperfect. His reaction had hurt her and if she thought about her mother, she suddenly had a lump in her throat. The woman hadn't handled the situation anything like the Hermione Granger Rose knew, but maybe her own reaction had been harsh and had hurt her. For her mother she was a stranger, but Rose hadn't tried to change that at all. To think about the situation with Lucy's input made her feel like crying all over again. How many times had she told her parents how grown up she already felt, but now she acted like the spoiled kid she knew she secretly still was. Self-reflection sucked a lot, Rose decided. Lucy interrupted her thoughts with an idea.

"Then just hug him when he comes over for Christmas. Show him that you love him. Maybe he feels guilty too. He's your Dad, isn't he?"

"I don't think he'll show up."

Rose looked like a small child now, huddled in her big blanket. Her eyes were on the stars in the sky and her voice was very small. Lucy nearly laughed, but kept from it and reassured her cousin.

"And I think you don't know your Uncles very well."

They sat together in silence, until Lucy left because she was cold. Back to bed she wanted to wait for Rose but fell asleep, lulled in by the warmth.

In the early morning hours, after the pitch-dark sky started to lighten up, Rose crawled back into her own bed. Exhausted, but with the resolve to show her Dad her support, even if she was still wary of her Mother. Something about the woman left her uneasy. The calculating way she had told her own story, without any warmth, made it just more pronounced. Rose knew she would need her father's input, before she did anything else regarding her mother. To hear her talk about another little girl and see the love directed at the other daughter had hurt.

* * *

 **Thanks for all your reviews! They help me see what you want to read about and some even gave me ideas**.


	45. Two very different but similar mornings

**Chapter 45 – Two very different, but similar mornings**

Hermione woke with a startle. Her surrounding was unfamiliar, and her breath laboured. She expected to see the small room she shared with Aquila, but the celling was too high and the colours on the wall a bright red.

The memories of the last two months took some time to come back to her.

Blinking, she took in the room Ginny had given her, in the dim light of early morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but it would be soon. Looking out the window Hermione knew it was close to eight in the morning already, and she had imposed on the Potters longer than she wanted. To talk about what had happened so long ago had not only left her drained, but brought up old insecurities too.

Draco and her had argued about it many times after that very day. She had spent weeks researching the curses they used, to be able to counter them the next time. Every time a book Draco brought her left her without answers, she had been more keyed up.

It had taken Severus to sit her down and tell her, in no uncertain terms, that they needed her focus on other things, to make her stop.

She hadn't given up, because that was just not her, but she had tuned it down.

After Ron was gone, planning had gotten even harder. They had not only missed him and George for the more hazardous tasks, but also for his strategic prowess. Both of them had risked a lot for their revenge, but still had always fulfilled their tasks.

If she looked back now, she knew Ron had let himself be killed. There were many reasons she came up with over the time for why he had done it. Sometimes she wished for a chance to ask him, to know why he had clamoured something like that from her. Other times she just wanted to bury the memory and forget Ron completely, because every thought revolving around the topic always ended the same:

She had killed him with the Unforgivable. She wasn't any better than the Death Eaters.

There would have been many other ways, including the muggle painkillers, she knew had been at their shelter. The thought to overdose him had only come weeks later, when she took one for her headache. Along with it came the thought about different numbing and sleeping spells.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind Hermione got up and focused on finding the bathroom. As long as she kept her mind occupied, it wouldn't go to places she'd rather avoid. Until she talked to Harry, she had only remembered the horrible night Ron died when she had to look at him.

She needed to get ready to leave. It was the day of Christmas Eve and she didn't want Harry or Ginny to coax her into staying for the day. She knew it wasn't polite to leave without a word, but she had to get away from here to breathe freely again. The memories were too close to the surface and she dreaded to meet anyone from the Weasley family. To many of them triggered her in one way or another and she already felt raw.

Mrs. Weasley's broken body, ripped apart by Lestrange, on the floor near the Great Hall.

Fred's smashed body under the stones of the wall.

Charlie's burning corpse outside in the yard.

Her arms and torso coated in blood that wasn't hers.

Severus dragging her along without saying a word, his lips pressed so tightly together she couldn't see them anymore.

Hermione shook her head and focused on brushing her teeth with the toothbrush Ginny had set up for guests. One circling motion after another, tooth after tooth.

When she left the old townhouse no ten minutes later, the street was empty and silent. Ginny and Harry were still asleep, or so she assumed, and she had left a short message in the kitchen, when she hadn't seen them on her way out. She hadn't looked if she was honest.

With a small pop she was gone. Back to the school that held so many places of horror, but still made her feel safe, because it was familiar. She was strong, she would win the fight against her memories. But until she did, she felt like she wasn't ready to face the world.

For now, she hoped there would be an owl waiting for her back at Hogwarts, with the distraction she needed. Not all of her Christmas presents were ready yet and she had decided to gather the perfect presents together to keep herself busy. There was one day left to finish her task.

XxX

"Get your ass out of bed!"

The voice booming through the house in the middle of the night made Ron jump out of his bed and grab his wand tightly. He pointed it at the intruder and was about to hex whoever woke him, when he recognized his brother and partner George in the dim light of the rising sun.

Dazed, Ron looked around and saw that he had fell asleep on the couch after rummaging through the stuff Hermione's had left behind. Yesterday he had finally decided that he had to clean everything up and store it in boxes so he wouldn't see it anymore all the time.

"What the heck, George, are you mad?" Ron sulked and sat back down.

"Me?" His brother looked at him in disbelieve. "Blimey Ron. That's low even for you. You left me hanging before Christmas! Christmas, Ron! The kids went home for school and I didn't know right from left the last three days. I don't care if your wife left you, your marriage died or your kids hate you - because trust me brother after the stunt you pulled over them on the first day of break you'll have to crawl on your knees to make your kids see how sorry you are – get your ass ready for work."

George threw a robe at Ron and turned around to enter the kitchen.

"Figured you didn't read a single word." The older brother grumbled from there when he saw the mountain made of unopened letters.

"Next time I'll send howlers 'till your ears bleed Ronnekins!"

"Yeh..." Was Ron's rather intelligent answer while he stared at the robe in his arms. The one he wore to work and hated to look at because it looked so cheerful. His stomach felt like an endless pit just thinking about what his brother just told him. He wanted to crawl under a stone and hide. The dread of work combined with the shame from when he had done out of hurt made him feel like a complete idiot.

George handed a cup of coffee over to him after coming out of the kitchen. He held one for himself in the other hand and had lighted the room. Scrutinizing him, Ron noticed that George looked like Ron felt, a picture of misery. His robe was wrinkled like he had slept in it, but the huge dark circles indicated that he hadn't slept for days.

"Drink up, get dressed and put off your pity party until Christmas is over. I need you, the kids need you and Ma is close to crying every time someone mentions your name. It's nearly as bad as when Percy left."

George took a gulp from his cup and looked daggers at Ron who hadn't moved to dress at all until now. That his patience was stretched thin was obvious to anyone knowing the remaining twin. It had taken him a few years to grow back into his easy-going self after Fred's death, but Angelina and the birth of Fred Jr. had helped the jokester to resurface.

"Don't even think about getting out of work today. I'll hex you into next week and bind you down if I have to. You'll join me for work and then we'll Apparate to the Burrow together. You'll sit your ugly ass down and make this family happy for the celebration. Are we clear ?"

George was rarely crude like this and that drove the point home for Ron. His brother had made himself clear and he had to admit maybe he needed this kick up the ass. He felt like shit and knew it wouldn't get any better soon, but he wasn't a kid anymore. He had kids waiting for him, kids he had dumped on his mom without a word.

"Blast it, gimme a sec to finish this and we'll be off."

With a pat on the back George smiled down at Ron and wiggled his eyebrows. From one moment to another the normal, carefree and joke cracking man was back.

"That's what I wanted to hear. Man up bro, we'll conquer the world with our newest products today 'till we are all sold out. The faster we are done, the more food is left for us at home."

* * *

 **Thank you for your support. Be it clicks or comments, they keep me going. If you want to make suggestions or have ideas please comment here or on AO3.**


	46. The day of Christmas Eve 1

**Chapter 46 – The day of Christmas Evening 1**

"I don't think she deserves to feel like she does. I certainly can't blame her, even when I want to. To me it looks like what she did was mercy."

When Harry entered the kitchen and heard his wife whispering, he went over and hugged her. She held a small note in her hand, in a neat writing he would never associate with Hermione before her substitution. Her writing had always been hasty but legibly, now it was sophisticated as if she had spent hours writing a simple sentence. Maybe she did, overthinking what to write and unsure of how to behave, Harry didn't know.

For him she was still a strong woman, even scary sometimes, like when her thoughts drifted off and she had that look on her face. The one that told him she would do whatever it took to protect her family. Not once had she blamed him or his son for what happened, even when he was blaming himself for failing as a father.

"When you told me tonight, I was so mad and angry. How dared she? He's my brother! But when I thought of someone trying to kill our kids, I knew I would have done the same. Even my own brother. Even you, if it had been you who had lost yourself. So, who am I to judge her?"

Ginny was still whispering, but there were no tears, no halt in her speech.

He knew it had hit Ginny hard to hear that her friend had murdered not just some Death Eaters, but Ron. They all tried to understand where Hermione came from, but this had driven it home like no interaction before ever did.

There were letters, all in that strange handwriting, that lay in their library. There were stories about a lost war and a beloved child. He had seen love in Hermione's face, when she ran into Malfoy's arms. But the truth was, they had all just seen her as a confused version of their own Hermione, not as a separate woman.

Harry rubbed Ginny's back and sighed at his own short-sightedness. He had helped Hermione with her notice of termination, but now he wondered what her plan comprised.

XxX

When Ron and George entered the wards around the Burrow hours later, Ron was too exhausted to care for much, beside the smell of the food coming from the house. WWW had been a battlefield, even worse that the year before, and there had been no time for thoughts about anything or anyone beside the never-ending stream of costumers and their questions.

When they had finally closed down with the 'Sold out' sign hanging of the door, there had still been many more costumers out front, but the store and the stock had been cleaned out. After Christmas they would need to start anew and prepare for the next year.

They were nearing the house from the Apparation point, when Molly as much as ran towards Ron when she saw him, and crashed him with a hug.

"My silly boy, I'm so happy!" She shouted and smiled in tears. Her red hair was wild on top of her head, and she nearly stabbed George with her wand in her hurry to get to Ron.

"Hello to you too Mum!" George greeted her after he jumped back to avoid the stick. He was laughing and a raised eyebrow told Ron all he needed to know: 'I told you so!'

"Molly, at least let them come inside before you freeze to death out there." Arthur's voice was full of amusement mixed with relief. He stood in the door and the kids spilled out beside him, looking what the ruckus was about.

"Dad!" A blond girl ran towards them, much like Molly had before, and flung her arms George who caught her and spun her around for a moment until he set her down again. Raising an eyebrow at her nearly white hair he searched for his son who grinned in the background. The green hair made him easy to spot.

"Uncle George." Another voice added. "Did you sell everything, or do we get something too?" It was James, asking with shining eyes. He had wanted to visit the store before, but Ginny had told him to wait till after Christmas. He needed new stuff for his plans next year, just a few harmless tricks to play on his uptight classmates and maybe his brother. Ralph, Jason and him had a bunch of new ideas to effectuate, just the gadgets were missing.

Molly ushered everyone back inside before they started talking, when she saw most weren't wearing boots.

Rose stood in the back and fiddled with her hands when she saw her dad enter the house. When their gazes met, she smiled gently and took an unsure step towards him. Ron opened his arms and suddenly his daughter threw herself at him.

"Took you long enough Uncle Ron, she was mopping all the time!" Albus drawled from the side and nodded at his Uncle. Rose looked at her cousin and mouthed a silent sorry his way, but he just rolled his eyes.

Hugo was happy to see that they made up without much drama. With Rose it could go both ways, either she condoned immediately after her outburst or she carried her grudge for weeks. His dad looked his way, and while Rose started talking two miles a minute, he joined his smaller family to greet his dad too. For a small moment he imagined his mother with them, but the thought dropped away when his father's big arms held him close.

Hours later Teddy took his Uncle aside to address one of the questions he had heard his cousins discuss after he and Victoire came back from their walk.

"Uncle Harry, do you know why Rose would accuse Albus of making her mother forget about her? Did he dally with some sort of Obliviate?"

The teenagers had come up with different stories, each more filigreed than the last, but all had agreed that Rose might have said too much in anger, in the end.

Still Teddy knew there was some truth in what she had said, because Rose was not a liar.

Harry sighed and waved Teddy out the door, casting a warming charm around them when they stood outside.

"My son didn't Obliviate her, but the Hermione that came back from his misuse of a time turner has different memories. Don't even ask how he got his hands on that stupid thing. That's my fault for bringing work home with me over the summer, to spend more time with the family. I can't explain it all now, but that's the short version."

Teddy looked at Harry in horror and opened his mouth but no words came out.

"We don't want the kids to know and made up the story with the accident. I don't know how Rose knows, but I guess Hermione was rather open with her. Beside her, Albus, and maybe Hugo, only Professor McGonagall, your cousin Malfoy, his son, Ron, Ginny and me know about this."

In astonishment Teddy finally found his voice again.

"Draco? Why him?"

"Guess whose son tried to solve the mess because they are best friends."

"This sounds bad. I feel a bit offended because you ruled me in with the kids and told me nothing."

"You know how this goes. You can't keep shit from Victoire and then Dominique will know and soon the whole family. Not even Molly knows the whole story."

"How the hell did you keep this from Molly?"

"Do you want to be the one to tell her your son messed up a marriage. That he helped split up a family. Hermione is as much a daughter to her as I'm a son. I don't want to be the one."

"Touché, me neither."

"Harry?" A female voice was calling for him and Harry took it as his cue to get away from any more questions, joining the others back inside.

* * *

 **You saw it is part 1, right? Draco will be waiting for you in part 2 next week. Did you miss him?**


	47. The day of Christmas Eve 2

**Chapter 47 – The day of Christmas Evening 2**

Since the morning Granger had left him without a word, Draco was sullen. Not only had he betrayed his late wife's memory with a drunken fuck, but the first woman he had slept with in years hadn't even stayed for the whole night. It had been a huge blow to his ego to wake up alone and hungover the next morning.

His memories of the night were unclear in some aspects and made him vary, too. He was never drunk from a few glasses of wine. It just didn't happen. He wanted to be in control at all times. After the war he loathed to do as he was told and he had drunk a lot, so his tolerance had gotten quite high. Even a bottle of firewhisky didn't get him overly drunk these days, or so he had thought. He hadn't drunk a lot since Astoria's death, focusing all his energy into trying to help Scorpius against the rumours. A fruitless effort as he now knew.

The Hermione he knew would be outraged to know he blamed his drunkenness on her, but he had seen the empty bottle the next morning, it hadn't been ordinary elf wine like he thought, but a rare and expensive one from Vogesen in France, that was known for its intoxicating nature. What he didn't understand was why she had done it. Was it just to say Good Bye to her old long lost husband, or was there more to it, and if there was one thing Draco hated above all, it was to be outsmarted.

When he had been at school, his little crush on the Mudblood had put him in a bad place. He had tried every tactic to ignore her and even stopped taunting her, because if he talked to her his heart would have tried to jump out of his chest. As a young lad he hadn't understood why he would admire one like her. When he grew older, he had outgrown his childish feelings, and while he never fell in love with Astoria, he had valued their friendship. A feeling like love was something fickle that his partnership with Astoria had never needed. Their marriage had been arranged and they had done the best they could to make it work.

They had shared their options at breakfast, always a logical debate, and had rarely shouted or quarrelled. If they couldn't agree, Draco, as the head of house, had the last word and Astoria wouldn't bring it up again.

It was by her doing that Draco had accepted that Muggleborn or Pureblood was not a matter he cared about anymore. After the war he had avoided the topic, but never chanced the circles he moved in. Not that he had a big choice of whom he spent time with. He was either the traitor, or the Baby Death Eater scum. Hadn't it been for bleeding heart Potter and Granger, he was sure he would be rotting in Azkaban.

It had been at his trial that he had accepted and understood that he had had a crush on the girl for years. Not that he had been able to do anything about it, but it had helped him move on.

When she had jumped him mere weeks ago, he somehow had thought that an old fantasy would come true.

He had allowed himself, drunken as he was, to live that dream. The morning after was harsh. Not only had his nice fantasy ended in a hangover, but Hermione had only left behind her lingering scent and a feeling of betrayal. Since then he was waiting for her to reach out again, because he couldn't wrap his mind around her behaviour.

After all this uproar in his life lately, he had hoped for a nice Christmas with his son. However, now he sat at the table and looked at his father on the opposite side with dread. The House Elves were serving the dishes for more than an hour now, but no word had been spoken. Scorpius hadn't even looked up since he started eating - or to be correct - pushing around the food on his plate. It was obvious to Draco that his son would rather be anywhere else than here.

Lucius Malfoy was watching his grandchild with disdain on his face and it was only a matter of time until he would say something to Draco about his son's behaviour. All in all, the dinner was a stuffily affair Draco would have rather avoided but couldn't. From his mother's body language, he could see that she was holding back too. Every time his father was about to open his mouth, she shot him a glance and they both continued to eat in silence.

Draco watched his son again and silently agreed with him. A dinner with the Potters couldn't be worse than this tension. The Gryffindor's would just shout out what bothered them and it would be the end of it. Maybe a shouting match would start and they would disagree, while he could add one snarky comment or another to amuse himself.

Draco felt ashamed for a moment, that he thought them to be better company than his own parents, but he dreaded what his father's words would do to Scorpius. His son took his grandfather's sharp rebukes to heart every time and grew to dislike the old man. His whole childhood, he had never been good enough for one Lucius Malfoy and he gave up on trying.

Draco could see it in the way Scorpius reacted to his grandfather these days. The few times they saw each other he never looked the older man in the eyes or started any conversation. His answers were always as short as possible and his voice flat.

Where Draco had held nothing but awe for his father when he had been Scorpius' age and every complain his father voiced was met with efforts to please, Scorpius had given up.

Draco schooled his face into an emotionless mask and continued to chew on his roast beef. Hadn't it been for the company it would be delicious. He just hoped the sharp remarks about his parenting would only start after Scorpius left for his room.

* * *

 **AN: Finally! I was waiting for so long to post something about Draco again. There will be more, because I love Draco and Scorpius together. All the School Chapter make it so hard to have the parents interact with the kids, so there will be a bit more about Christmas.**


	48. The day of Christmas Eve 3

**Chapter 48 – The day of Christmas Evening 3**

Hours later, Draco found his son in his room with a very muggle book in his lap, as if to spit at his grandfather, should he see him. Draco tried to keep his face straight but he couldn't help smirking when Scorpius wiggled his eyebrows and held the book up.

His father had just talked his ears off about Scorpius' awful behaviour and he felt emotionally drained. To share a small joke with his son, after he had been shut out by him the last year, felt refreshing.

"How did your date go Dad?"

Scorpius inquired when Draco sat down on the bed next to him. "I like her Dad, you don't need to worry." He added when Draco didn't answer right away, and let his father know exactly why Lucius said Scorpius wasn't fit to be a Malfoy. He was neither as sneaky, nor as discreet, as Lucius wanted the boy to be. For Draco it was refreshing to talk to his son. He always knew how Scorpius felt, even if it was sometimes hard to deal with the openness. Feelings weren't something he was used to reciprocate.

His answer was cagey and made Scorpius roll his eyes.

"It's for Mrs. Weasley to decide if we meet again Scorpius."

"Dad! Never call her Mrs. Weasley, she hates that. Went back to Miss Granger since she stays at school. How are you supposed to snack a woman of you can't even remember to call her by the right name? "

Draco's eyebrow rose into his hair.

"Snack a woman?" He was sure he knew what his son was implying, but he was taken off-guard that his own son wanted to pair him of with Granger.

"Yeh, we could have spent Christmas with her. Maybe at the Potters?"

Scorpius face fell and he looked out the window. "I'm sure that would have been fun. You could have argued with Albus' Dad, like you always do, about silly stuff." Scorpius voice drifted off and Draco wanted to hug his son. For a moment he remembered his own thoughts of rather spending time with Potter, than his own father, and it hurt to have his son say it out loud.

"Who knows, maybe next year." Draco whispered, without believing it himself, but he wanted to make Scorpius feel better.

"Good Night"

With a kiss on his son's hair Draco went to leave the room.

"Dad, promise me to meet her again should she ask. I really do like her. She always talks to me like an adult and takes me seriously." Scorpius called after him.

At the door Draco turned around and watched his son set the book aside to lay down. It was the first time in a long while his son had asked him for something, and he knew he would push the strange feelings the last encounter with Granger left to the side, to make Scorpius happy.

XxX

It was Christmas night and Hermione felt lonely. Since she had left the Potters she hadn't met up with anyone else. Headmistress McGonagall invited her to join them for the Christmas feast but she had politely declined, not feeling up for the company.

Her thoughts revolved mostly around the memories she had unleashed, both by telling Harry and by dreaming of them. Not many things had happened right after Ron's death, and she had spent most of her time with Scorpius, joined by either Severus or Draco.

All the others had been busy with their undercover investigations all around Great Britain and never visited as much.

Draco wanted to spend as much time as possible with his son, so she saw him the most.

 _Scorpius was asleep, Hermione had just checked on him, when Draco stepped closer to her in the Common Room. He leaned in and their eyes met just seconds before he pressed his mouth on hers._

 _Their teeth clashed, but he wrapped his hand in her hair to keep her from getting away. His kiss got softer, but it was still heated. They had argued before she had left the room to look after Scorpius and to cool down. She wanted to help, but he had ordered her to stay put and watch over his son. Hermione had never liked to be ordered around, especially if someone infantilised her like Draco had tried mere minutes before. Now their anger towards each other clashed in this kiss._

 _Draco hadn't closed his eyes and watched her reaction, when she had slipped her tongue out to grace his lips._

 _A soft growl escaped his throat and he pressed his body against hers, now sure she wanted it too. They had never spoken about it, just danced around each other for months now. She had bit her lips when his burning eyes met hers. Until seconds ago, she had been sure that it had all just been in her head._

 _"This is wrong Granger. We need to stop." He growled against her mouth but carried on, ignoring his own advice._

 _Her hands gathered the fabric of his robe, pushing it aside to loosen up some of the buttons of his oxford beneath. Today he hadn't worn a tie and made it easy for her hands to slip beneath his clothes._

 _She was met with a mix of rough and soft skin, hinting at all the scars she couldn't see yet._

 _"Is this..."_

 _Draco never let her finish her question. He yanked her away from him and shook his head, as if to clear it._

 _"My father just continues Potter's work."_

 _He turned around and walked away from her, putting more than just emotional distance between them._

 _"I'll leave Scorpius in your care." Nodding at her, he vanished into the small space where the entrance had been years ago, before the corridor collapsed. The only spot you could use to Apparate._

 _Leaving behind a seething Hermione, because he had won the argument about her staying back, by never letting her finish it._

It had been their first kiss, and only later Draco had told her that his father had denied him potions to heal his wounds. When she had touched him, the torture his father had put him through had reverberated. It took years for him to be fine with her touching him without flinching at the first contact.


	49. Christmas morning 1

**Chapter 49 – Christmas morning 1**

"So, you remembered you had another son?" Albus asked low when Harry handed him a present at the breakfast table on Christmas morning. "What do I get this time, another stupid thing like your blanket?"

"Maybe." His father answered, looking older that he should. He had tried to take all the advice to heart and remember that his son was a teenager and he loved him.

Albus ripped the paper away unenthusiastically and looked at the small brown paper in his hands. It looked a lot like the Marauders' Map he knew his brother had in his possession.

"Huh?" He asked dumbstruck. Opening it, he could see a sketch of Hogwarts grounds, but no names showed on it.

"Do you want to take me for a fool now, fobbing me with an ersatz?" Albus voice was angry when he threw the paper to the ground and went to leave the dining room. It was his mother's voice that held him back.

"Albus, stay until your father has time to explain your present." Her voice was soft, but commanding. Just one look at her made Albus close his mouth and stay where he was, seething inwardly. His mother could be rather scary if she wanted to be and normally, she left him to his moods.

James rolled his eyes at the theatrics his brother pulled and went back to admiring his new broom. He had asked his parents in his first letter after the summer holidays to get it for him. Holding it in his hands he ignored the rest of his family, daydreaming about his first game after the Christmas break. This time they wouldn't lose. It was an AshPhoenix, the newest product from a cooperation between two of the biggest Quidditch companies of Britain.

"The map shows the Hogwarts we rebuilt after the war, while your brother's map still shows the old Hogwarts. Most of the old secret passages his map shows are not usable anymore, so I left them out. I'm not as good at enchantments as the Marauders were, so you'll only see the names of the people around you, not everyone at Hogwarts. But if you want to find someone, you can use a point me charm on the map and it'll show you the person you seek, as long as he or she is at Hogwarts. The map kept me out of a lot of trouble and I hope it'll do the same for you."

Harry explained, trying not to sound irritated. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to give his son the opportunity to sneak out of Hogwarts, but he wanted to believe in him. There was also a way to make sure it wasn't misused.

"Thanks, I guess." Albus picked the paper up again, but he still was sullen. Sitting back down with his arms crossed Albus avoided looking at his parents.

Harry knew he looked angry, he could see it looking at Ginny, but he was an adult, so he would not be hurt by Albus' mood. It was Christmas for Merlin's sake.

He stood up to get himself a cup of coffee from the machine, and to give himself time to cool down.

"Don't you want to know the password for it?" He asked with all the patience he could muster, while his back was turned towards his family. Albus eyebrows rose to his hairline. Rolling his eyes, he looked down at the paper and said out loud:

"Mischief managed." Instead of vanishing, as he had thought, the paper turned into a mouth much like a howler and blew a raspberry at him and then turned back into a boring map. Albus looked at it in horror, while his sister held her stomach and laughed.

Harry caught slightly and walked over to stand behind Albus. He pointed his wand at it and whispered, so only Albus could hear it:

"I pledge myself to be a Marauder." Suddenly the lines grew exact, and brown dots could be seen moving around, but without names attached. Tapping the paper a second time, Harry said another sentence in a low voice:

"I vow to be uninspired."

Now the map suddenly looked ages old again and stopped showing anything moving.

"Uninspired?" Albus asked and for the first time in a long while Harry saw his son smiling, or more like smirking, but it was just as good.

"I'm old, my head didn't come up with any good stuff."

"Yep, I can see that." Albus agreed and suddenly, like he noticed he had shared a joke with his old man, he was sober again and nodded. "Thanks." It was all he said and then packed the map away, but stayed on his chair, watching his sister while she rummaged through her new beauty potions, credit to Ginny.

Ginny and Harry shared a small moment in silent, where she proudly smiled at him.

XxX

Ron was still half asleep when his daughter jumped on his bed and hugged him hard.

"Thank you Daddy!" She shouted and made sure he was awake now.

"I take you liked your Christmas gifts?"

Her eyes were shining and she radiated with happiness. Sitting next to him on his bed she nodded her head.

"The new gloves for Quidditch are beautiful with the Gryffindor emblem on them and I finally have my hair potion again. I don't know how you knew or where you got it but thank you!"

Rose hugged him again and ran out of the room.

"I'll get breakfast ready!"

Smiling after his grownup little girl, Ron sighed. When he got the request from Hermione to look into her book with her own inventions, he had wanted to deny her, because he had no idea what she wanted with it. In an attempt to be the bigger man, and be civil, he had packed everything up yesterday night and sent it her way. A comment from Hugo when he had seen the letter might have urged him to do it too.

Now he knew what his youngest had been up to, and why Hermione had known about her books, when she had lost all memories. If he didn't know better, he would have found it a very Slytherin move from his son. However, Hugo was all about family and making everyone around him happy in the way he deemed best.

Standing up, Ron walked towards the kitchen from where he could hear his daughter working on the food. Halfway inside he saw Hugo standing next to his sister and handing her whatever she called for. He was his usual silent and patient self, while his sister bubbled around, ordering him around to do one task and another.

Ron stayed back at the entrance of the room and smiled at his little family. He missed Hermione, standing beside him and hugging him, but he knew even if she was still here, she would be sitting in her home office, working. A stone settled in his stomach when the realisation sank in that the Hermione he loved hadn't been with him for years already. And with it came the acceptance of the inevitable. He might be a divorced man, but he still had a family. No one could ever take that from him.

So when Rose saw him standing behind them and called him over to set the table up, he took out his wand to fly the dishes around the kids.

"Dad!" Rose shouted at him and wielded the spoon. "That's cheating!"

"Nope, I'm over 17, so that's just an advantage I get from growing old."

For a moment his daughter made his heart throb, she reminded him so much of his lost wife, but he smiled through the pain. Make the best of what you have, he told himself and joined his children.

* * *

 **AN: What do you think of Ron, I would love to know your opinions.**


	50. Christmas morning 2

**Chapter 50 – Christmas morning 2**

Malfoy Manor was silent on Christmas morning. No children were running around happily and the gift exchange had already happened. It had started in the early morning hours, after everyone woke up as early as usual -a Malfoy would never sleep in- and ended in constrained thanksgivings.

Scorpius had opened the packages under the watchful eye of three adults and nodded a thank you for every one he opened. For a moment his eyes had light up when he had seen Draco's handmade journal with the Emblem of the House Malfoy on it, but Lucius had made a disparaging remark and urged Scorpius on to open the rest.

Draco had seen his sons reaction and had wanted to hex his father with something. His son's shoulders had slumped down and he had to open the rest without another word but muttered thanks. Only the last present had been opened without a thank you. It had been small and revealed a kerchief with the Malfoy Crest embodied on it, together with a small note, that Scorpius had hidden in his pocket. When Lucius had inquired about the gift Scorpius had mumbled something about someone from school and sending a letter, while not looking at the old man at all.

Of course that had made his father deliver the speech of how a Malfoy should behave in public and Scorpius had left the room without another word just afterwards. Obviously, Lucius Malfoy had berated Draco for his deficient parenting again as soon as his grandson had left. Which left Draco in an even worse mood than before the holidays, which he had thought to be impossible.

His competitors had finished their new broom right before Christmas, and his sales had dropped far behind prognoses. He had spent the last few days just before Christmas working out a strategy to get his company back on track as soon as the new year started, but hadn't been able to come up with a plan or invention to help him along. He had miscalculated the time they would need to get their broom on the market and now it bit him in the ass. There was no way he wanted to take second or third place behind anyone. If there was one thing he agreed on with his father, it was that a Malfoy always wanted to be the number one. After a childhood in the shadows of others he knew it wasn't always possible, but that would never keep him from trying. He had to make up for his failure and show his rivals how much better his ideas were, all he needed was a new, better idea than their broom. Which wasn't as easy as he wanted it to be and left him brooding.

That he hadn't got the guts to write a letter to Granger, asking for answers didn't make it any better.

He had heard from her, but only because she was worried about his son, and not because she wanted to see him again. The message had come with a small Christmas present, in form of a box he hadn't opened yet.

It had been just another low blow. He knew he had sworn to himself to wait until she wrote first, but after weeks of silence he knew he was simply a coward, afraid she would dismiss what they had shared. Now he had a letter, but it came with more questions than answers.

He knew Hermione believed the story she told him, and growing up a Pureblood, he knew magic could make unbelievable things happen. Why else would Potter be alive after the Killing Curse hit him twice.

What worried him was the way Hermione was intent on his son, but dismissed the sex they had without a second word. They had talked about the man she had loved, this distorted version of himself. In some ways his other version had traits Draco envied him, but he didn't want to be filled with hate for his own father, only living for payback and the rare moments spent with a lover and his son. To him it sounded like an empty and harsh life.

He couldn't understand how his father still held into the old beliefs, but it was still his father. The man who had sat him down and explained magic to him, the man who had showed him how to ride a broom, the man who never showed his love openly but cried after they lost the war, because his family was finally safe. They would disagree on Draco's parenting skills, but Lucius Malfoy would never harm his family with anything but harsh words. Draco wasn't even sure if his father bothered to think about how hurtful he was towards his grandchild. All his father ever told him was that Scorpius was too soft and needed to grow stronger, more cunning, to make the Malfoy name proud. Sometimes Draco thought his own father hoped to make Scorpius strong enough to stand above all the rumours that accompanied the Malfoy name even now, twenty years after the war.

And then there was Hermione, who gave his son presents that made him smile, 'cause Draco was rather sure the kerchief came from her. The woman, his son told him, talked to him and obvious made him feel safe enough to try to push his own father into her arms. Draco envied his other self and his son, for the love she so openly shared, but he wasn't sure if it was what he wanted. Not because he wouldn't appreciate it, but because he felt like he would always just be the second choice. The man she took, cause her loved one was gone.

Draco came out of his thoughts for a second and looked around the empty sitting room. He hadn't moved since his father had stopped talking and still sat in the chair not far from the Christmas tree. Everyone had gone to take care of their own preferred activity, leaving him to his thoughts. He knew it was for the best, because he had plans to make.

* * *

 **I can't decide if I like Lucius or not.. Anyway I can finally stop writing about Christmas. Please let me know what you think, I really love your comments!**


	51. Between years

**Chapter 51 – Between years**

Albus knew it might be a bad idea, after the way Delphi behaved the last time they had seen each other, but he knew that girls could overreact when they got their monthlies. Based on the way his mother behaved sometimes when it was that time of the month, he was sure Delphi didn't really want to kill him or Scorpius, she was simply devastated that he had failed. After all, they had spent hours planning out how to make his Dad see that he was also a hero.

Now, more than ever, Albus wanted to prove himself. He wanted his parents to see that he was just as worthy of being their son as Perfect-James was.

To show Delphi his best side and to tell her that he was still believing in her idea, he had a parchment in front of him and was trying to write a letter. She had once told him her birthday was the 27th of December and he wanted to congratulate her, but couldn't find the words.

Looking at his father's present, his resolve was restored and his feather hit the parchment for the greeting.

He couldn't just write openly about what they had agreed upon, so he would need to use some safe description to make others see it as a simple letter from one friend to another, should they read it. To an outsider, it had to look as innocent as possible because after the stunt in October, who knew if his parents wouldn't read his letter when he asked them to send it with the family owl. He had made sure to stay out of his family's way for the last two days, beside for food.

Lily spent most of her time with his mother anyway, talking about Merlin-knew-what. All the girls stuff was plain boring.

James was off to visit with his friends most of the day, coming up with new jokes for next year. Albus was more than happy to be out of his way. He had been their guinea pig for too many times.

As for his father, he was called to work, what else. The bad guys didn't stop doing bad stuff over the holidays so there was one emergency call after another, even with his dad on holiday leave. It was like the world couldn't work without the great Harry Potter. Albus sneered at that thought.

XxX

"I'm sorry Milady." The raspy voice came from the broad man who had just bumped into her and made Professor Sprouse frown. His dark hair was tousled, as if he had forgotten to brush it after waking up, and his clothes were far too thin for the cold Scottish weather at Hogsmeade. He didn't have to look up to her as most others had to but there were no emotion on his face at all.

"Nothing happened." She reassured him and bent down to pick up the bag she had dropped but he was faster. Instead of giving it back to her he scrutinized her for a moment.

"May I offer a Butterbeer by way of apology?" His question was asked politely and he offered her bag back to her afterwards but something about him felt off.

Now it was Professor Sprouse that looked him over. He was likely a few years younger than her, but she had never seen him before. Hogsmeade was a small town and while this was only her second year at Hogwarts, she had been down in the village quite a few times to get various supplies and maybe a few sweets.

His expressionless face made her wary and her mother had taught her to take every precautions when meeting a stranger, especially when she felt something was wrong. Debating what to do, she decided to smile at him and then shook her head.

"I fear I need to turn your invitation down. I'm needed back at the school at the earliest opportunity."

"Of course Professor. Maybe another time."

He turned around and left without as much as a goodbye and Luna wondered about the strange man, but not for long. He hadn't even asked her name, nor did she knew his, so the chances were slim for them to come into contact any time soon. That she was a Professor was most likely an assumption he had made based on her comment about school, there was nothing to worry about yet.

She didn't notice him turning around when he reached the end of the street and follow her with his dark eyes until she left the street at the other end. The whole time his face didn't change much, but he could be described as pensive while watching her. The meeting had been calculated.

XxX

 _She was running. Faster and faster. They had her. Her little girl, her sun. Everything worthy of living for was in their hands. All she knew was that she had to run. Faster. Even faster than she was sure she could. There had to be a way._

 _But it was as if the key was missing. She was sure she had it, but it was missing. Like sand running through her hands. She was lost, had to stop. Where was her girl? She had been so sure she was on the right path. So sure of it. She had lost everything. They had taken it from her piece by piece. Her sanity was wearing thin and they knew it. They laughed at her while watching her from the shadows, where she was unable to see them. Draco's shouts of agony mixed with the unformed laughter. There were movements around her, but every time she turned, she only saw an endless vast plane of nothingness. Her heart clenched in her chest and made her feel like she could burst apart soon. Her pulse was fast and erratic. She could hear the whoosh of it in her ears, which made detecting where the cries were coming from even harder._

 _"Hermione." A voice whispered from her left, but nobody was there. More and more voices joined in, until it was a circular canon. Her head was spinning from it until she covered her ears with both hands and cried out loud to make it stop. Her own voice was joined by her daughter's pitiful cry, and Draco's hoarse one._

Hermione woke up drenched in sweat. Another nightmare. She knew she couldn't wait any more, she needed to know today if she was pregnant or not.

* * *

 **My wonderful beta Eva labled this chapter: My sadistic cliffhanger chapter. Do you agree with her? I hope so ;)**


	52. Test

**Chapter 52 – Test**

"Anything new?" The woman didn't wait for any answers, but threw the letter she had received at the man who had joined her. She was sitting in an big armchair in front of the fire that made her white hair reflect the flames as if she herself was a flame. He bend down to pick up the parchment, the rustle of his black clothes being the only noise coming from him.

"Isn't it cute?" Her voice was cold, but amused.

"My little pet still believes in me. Even after I lost my nerve with him last time. How much he longs to be loved, even remembering my birthday."

The man looked over the letter for some time until Delphi snapped.

"Aren't you done yet? You can't still be that bad at reading, it's just a few words."

He didn't react, but set the parchment down next to her chair. His face gave nothing away when he looked at her.

"So where is my birthday present from you?" She asked sweetly, her outburst already forgotten. "I assume that's the reason you are here and not at Hogwarts, like I told you to be!"

Her voice was friendly, but he knew better. He had disobeyed her command, and would pay for it.

"Nothing to say?" Her wand was in her hand, she held it almost lazily, but her eyes gave her away. They narrowed in on him and flickered in the dim light provided by the fire.

"A triumphant birthday for my Lady." He bowed at her feet when he said it and kept his head down. The words coming out of his mouth were foreign, as he never talked. But he was here, after all, because she was the reason he lived, so he would fulfil whatever role she deemed suitable for him.

"I think I know what I want for my birthday from you..." He didn't dare to look up when she mocked him.

"What do you wish for?" His voice sounded so deep it was nearly inaudible over the crackle of the fire.

"Lets see..." She answered, and he felt the spell take over his body and shuddered. His body creaked and a hiss broke out of him. He shuddered and his frame convulsed under the pressure of the spell.

His bones crocked, until only his clothes in a pile were left.

The heap was poised for a few moments, until it shuddered and a small black crow hopped out of it. It's eyes watched the woman in front of it and made her laugh.

"You can't turn back to your human form now Crow." She told him and swung around her wand lazily again.

"That should teach you to do as I say until this mission is over. I hope it's not to cold out there without your clothes and your wand."

The window was thrown open by an invisible force and her eyes narrowed on him again.

"Go!" She ordered him, and sunk back into the chair when she was finally alone.

All this waiting strained her nerves, sometimes it was good to have fun. Looking at the clothes and the wand in front of her she started laughing.

XxX

The muggle test she got from a pharmacy when she had been to London a week earlier sat heavily in her hand. A small detour the morning after she had visited Harry and Ginny.

Hermione knew there were faster ways to find out, different charms to try, but in this she went back to her muggle roots. She had never preformed any of the spells for pregnancy, so she wanted to make sure she did it right.

For a moment her thoughts went back to Severus, who had taken care of the spell work the first time she had been pregnant and bittersweet feelings overtook her. He had been her support, her rock. They had grown close the days when Draco wouldn't even visit her in his anger. Thinking of him made her miss his calmness and insight, his snark and his drawled advices. He would never talk to her again, and it made her hurt all over again. For years and years he had been her companion, the person she could count on. A pepper up potion for the kids, or sarcastic remark when she felt down, he always had it. She had banned any thoughts of him into the back of her mind until now, to keep from acknowledging that he was gone, just like her daughter.

What she hadn't calculated, when buying the test, was the unnerving feeling that made her heart and stomach clench in fear, while she had to wait five minutes for a result. It gave her head time to remember, but also calculate the different outcomes and she didn't like what she came up with. She bit her lips until she knew she bleed, she could taste the cooper on her tongue, and fiddled with the small stick in her hand.

It would be either one line that would crash her hope, or two that could change her life back to a better version of what it had been, or make it living hell.

She wanted nothing more than to have her small girl back. These last two months she had seen a world where her baby girl could grow up to be a proud witch. Where the children had no worries and the worst thing was sending them away to Hogwarts for most of the year. There was no war here, no Death Eaters around every corner.

She saw the children run around the Great Lake and laughed when she looked out her window. Of the few hundred students, some stayed back for Christmas and hit each other with snowballs. Spells were thrown around to gain an advantage, but it was in a friendly nature.

There were still problems, caused by the war so many years ago, but to her they all looked manageable. She wanted to help Scorpius, but she knew it wasn't a matter of life or death, as it had been for her just three months ago.

Just that one thought made it easier for her to feel less stressed about the test in her hand. She could handle the outcome, Hermione told herself, steeling for the result. She bit her bleeding lip again and twitched when it stung, before she looked down and the small muggle gadget.

What Hermione saw, made her blink. She looked at the manual not far from her to made sure she read it right. Rereading the instructions her hands clenched around the test and she leaned back against the window she had looked out of moments ago.

There was so mistake, the result was final. One small window showed her that the test was valid, and the second one showed her result.

Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Hermione hugged her legs and buried her head against her knees.

The small white stick lay forgotten beside her, as she tried to come to terms with the outcome.

* * *

 **Courtesy of a desicion my beta Eva and me made this morning you are left with another cliffhanger, cause we deleted the part that included the test result..** **.**

 **The desicion how this will go was already made weeks ago. I think I told you I kinda rewrote some part, and this the main part of it. Let me know how you think this will go on, cause I'm soooo curious. I'm gona make you a deal. You tell me what you think will happen and I'll hurry up and publish the next chapter earlier ;)**


	53. Don't go breaking my heart

**Chapter 53 - Don't go breaking my heart**

Hugo was sitting on his bed, hours after his party had ended, and was eyeing the different present he had gotten. There were many books, a beautiful feather and ink set and sweets including a bunch of chocolate frogs and Berty Bott's Beans.

He knew he should be happy, but he had a hard time keeping his tears at bay.

It had started of as a lovely day. Rose had cooked breakfast and brought it to his room to wake him up with the smell of bacon and eggs, accompanied by a muffin with a big 12 on top.

Later his whole family had visited, bringing him all the presents that sat in front of him now. His grandma had brought food and his father had even smiled once or twice, sharing jokes with Uncle George. Fred Jr's hair had finally been turned back to its normal red, even after his insistence that he liked his new green hair colour, he had sported since Christmas. Hugo was rather sure, that the reason Molly turned the hair back was for the simple reason that Fred had liked the colour she had put on him as a punishment. Her own hair had long been back to it's original colour, courtesy of George who had figured out the spell Fred used, to undo it. Molly's own spell hadn't been that easy and Hugo was rather proud of his cousin's great spell work when she had told him about it today.

They had ended his birthday with a great firework, like it was tradition by now and Hugo had loved to spend all the time with his family.

Still he was sitting there and feeling like the world was about to shatter around him, while his heart hurt. He looked up when he heard the door open and, seeing his Dad, he sniffed.

"Just wanted to wish the birthday boy a good night." Ron said from the door, but stopped when he saw the tears in Hugo's eyes.

"Everything alright Hugo?" He asked concerned and entered the room to sit down on the bed, next to his son.

Suddenly Hugo threw himself into his father's arms and let the tears flow freely.

"Sh-she for-got-t me." It was more of a hiccup than a full sentence, but Ron understood right away. With the understanding came bitterness. He wanted to blame his ex-wife for her unthoughtful behaviour, but guilt was stronger. He should have known she wouldn't remember the day she gave birth to her son, because she never did. The letter he sent to her right before Christmas should have had the birthday included, but he was caught up in his own resentment. With the way he had handled the situation he had hurt one of the most precious things in his life yet again, his son.

"I'm sorry Hugo." Ron admitted and hugged his son to his chest. How easy it would be to blame Hermione now to make Hugo feel better, but Ron wasn't a child anymore. Cradling his crying son in his arms he lay his chin on top of Hugo's head.

"I don't think she wanted to hurt you Hugo, but she forgot us all. She can't remember giving birth to you or Rose, so she doesn't know your birthdays."

"It's my-y fau-ault." Hugo whispered with a tearful voice into his fathers embrace. "I did-n't invi-ite her."

" I don't think she would have come. She's avoiding the family until she comes to terms with her memory loss."

"No-ot help-ful, Dad!" Hugo lectured him, even while he was still crying, and Ron nearly laughed. "But I gue-ss you are ri-ght."

When Hugo finally fell asleep, Ron was dead tired himself, but stayed up anyway to write a letter to Hermione. It wasn't much, not even terribly polite, just a small note to remind her of this special day she couldn't remember.

XxX

It was only days into the new year when Hermione knew that what she dreaded, since she saw the single line on her pregnancy test, was about to occur. She hadn't left her room in a week because she knew her eyes were red rimmed, and she even ignored the owls. Nightmares were hunting her every night, but they had changed since she knew she wasn't with child.

Her daughter wasn't calling for her anymore and the silence made the dreams even worse. Harry would walk up to her and tell her she had to kill him if she ever wanted to see Aquila again.

The time turner she wore around her neck was a constant reminder of a decision she dreaded. Logical she knew she couldn't use it, but there was a voice in her head, that sounded a lot like the laughing voice from her dream, that made her question her decision to do what was right instead of what she wanted.

A cramp in her lower abdomen made her bit her teeth in pain and brought her back to her current situation. She was curled up in bed with the worst menstruation she had had in years. A pain-relief potion sat on her nightstand, but she couldn't bring herself to take it. Maybe it was a way to make herself pay for her mistakes, but she wanted to feel the pain, because it made the whole situation more real to her. Her emotional pain clawed at her from the inside, but the craps were giving her something to concentrate on. She could breathe through them and they would lessen from time to time. Her tears were all used up by now anyway.

* * *

 **AN: Updated for the betaed version, thanks to Eva.**

I promised an early Chapter and here it is, 2 comments, 2 days early ;)

Jacpin was spot on with her comment, and the reason why I decided against a pregancy.

I'll update it to a betaed version once my

The tags on AO3 were updated cause of some complains about the general outline of the story. I hope to make it obvious, that this isn't some fluff, happy go lucky story.

PTSD should normally be a dead giveaway but I guess it wasn't taken seriously by some.

Yes Hermione is occ, and that's on purpose. If you don't know PTSD or what it does to a person please look it up or ask me in a pm for more informations.


	54. Afraid?

**Chapter 54 – Afraid?**

After the winter break, school resumed as it had left off. The students came back the first Sunday of the New Year and suddenly the school was loud and busy again.

Hermione had spent the days alone in solitude. She hadn't left her room, some days not even her bed. Logical she wanted to come to terms with her new life, but every time she closed her eyes it felt like there was no oxygen in the air. The panic attacks made it nearly impossible for her to eat, sleep or think. The loud noises from the students back on school grounds frightened her to the point that she hid under her blanket in stark fear.

The lack of cooperation between her mind and her body made her furious. She was adamant that she could win this war against herself on her own. Sadly her strong moments were few in between the week ones and she never went far with her resolve before she felt her muscles clench, tasted nausea in her mouth or couldn't breath freely. It felt like she was drowning in her feelings, with no way to stop her spinning thoughts.

The time turner had long lost it's place around her neck and lay broken on the carpet next to the wall. Throwing it had stopped her treacherous thoughts about using it to get back to her daughter, but hadn't helped as much as Hermione had wished.

She wanted someone by her side, telling her it was all just a nightmare, with a happy ending waiting for her as soon as she woke up.

XxX

"I had an idea while we were at home." Albus announced with a grim face. That he hadn't heard back from Delphi didn't change anything for him. Maybe she was busy or didn't want anyone to intercept her letters. "I know you met up with Aunt Hermione for your Dad once, do you still talk to her?"

Scorpius looked at Albus, bewildered, but nodded. "Yes I do, but what is this about?"

"My Da gave me a gift on Xmas we can put to use to get the time turner back. You'll keep her busy some place far from her quarters and I'll search them for the time turner."

"Are you out of your mind? I told you before Christmas that we need to tell one of the adults about Delphini. That woman is bat ass crazy, and the last time we used the time turner it vanished you."

"We won't use it, but I can't have her kill us. And you heard what she said, someone is watching us. She'll know if we tell the adults. So we needed a new plan and here it is. We'll need to invalidate the time turner after we get it back and hand it over. Maybe it's possible to add some kind of spell to knock her out once she touches it. Then we can call in the adults to hand her over and we'll be heroes. Are you in?" Albus knew he was lying through his teeth, but there was no other way to make Scorpius cooperate. The blond boy was dead afraid of Delphi and in the back of his mind Albus knew they needed a back up plan. He wanted to believe that her threats were simply jokes but he liked to be safe, just in case. He wasn't in Slytherin because the Sorting Hat had sung Eenie Meenie Miney Moe.

"This is stupid, but whatever, I'm not leaving you hanging. Count me in." Scorpius agreed and added: "Just one little thing, how do you want to get into her room? We'll need her password."

"No problem, I got my brother's Cloak of Invisibility from his room while we were home." Albus was grinning proudly, but Scorpius felt like there were stones in his stomach. He didn't want to delude Mrs Granger. He hadn't seen her since he had been back at school and hadn't thanked her for the present yet. It was so thoughtful and he could feel it in his pocket where he dragged it around since Christmas.

XxX

"Miss Granger?", Headmistress McGonagall's voice sounded from the portrait guarding Hermione's quarters. Normally they met up every other day over tea to talk about Hogwarts, the students and what was going on beyond the walls. They didn't schedule their meetings, but she hadn't seen the younger woman in over a week and was worried. Even more so when nobody else from the staff had heard anything either, and Professor Sprouse had sounded just as worried as Minerva felt.

Knocking had gotten no response from inside the room. As Headmistress, Professor McGonagall had certain privileges and one of them was knowing that Miss Granger was for certain inside her rooms.

Calling out again, but gaining no answer she sighed and went to go back to her office. She would keep looking out for Miss Granger, but it looked like there was nothing she could do for now.

* * *

 **AN: The normal weekly update! This makes 2 Chapters this week. Thank you for your support.**


	55. Decide who you want to be

**Chapter 55 – Decide who you want to be**

"Hey Malfoy!" Sebastian Burke's voice carried across the Slytherin Common room. He wasn't the brightest star but, as part of the Quidditch team, the others listened if he had something to say. It was also commonly known that he didn't like Scorpius at all. Like nearly all Purebloods in Slytherin, Scorpius and Sebastian shared some ancestors, in this case on the Black side of the family, but nothing more. That didn't keep the 5th year beater from harassing the blonde every single time he found something to make good use of.

"I saw your beloved Granger eating up Wood's face this morning. Did she finally drop your sorry ass?" The big ugly smile on Burke's face was mirrored in several other housemates'.

Scorpius turned his head back to his homework and ignored the laughing members of his house.

"You are one to talk Burke, didn't Elisabeth dump you just a few days ago?" Albus drawled from beside Scorpius, and didn't sound like he was concerned at all. He was leaning back in his chair and raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"I think she told her buddy Heather that she found you lacking. I wonder which part of you however, there are so many..."

"Shut up Potter, we all know how you comfort your best friend at night. How you crawl into his bed when he cries and spend the night with him." Burke sneered at the black haired younger boy in disdain.

"At least I have someone to spend the night with." Albus mocked him and looked around the silent Common Room with a smirk on his face. They were all watching, but stayed out of it, like always. Slytherin were loyal to their own, but him and Scorpius were outsiders in their own house. Nonetheless, all of them had learned to stay out of his way, or regret it. The first years mostly looked troubled and were gathered in a corner, unsure about what was going on. They had yet to witness just how deep the rift was in the house of Slytherin when it was a matter involving the houses Malfoy and Potter. Soon enough they would know about all of the rumours and stay as far away from Scorpius and Albus as they could. They had withered it since the beginning of the year, but this was the first open confrontation in the Common Room. This year, it had taken longer than the ones before for someone to confront Scorpius, but the two of them had rarely spent time in close proximity of their house mates.

"If you want to rile someone up, go and annoy my brother Burke."

Albus tapped Scorpius on the shoulder and they grabbed all their stuff to vanish towards their dorm. When their were out of range for the others to hear, Albus looked at Scorpius and scowled.

"At least defend yourself instead of sitting there like someone hit your puppy."

"I only make it worse, and I hate the attention. I'm not like you Albus. You have a way with words I haven't."

The scowl didn't vanish from Albus' face, but he kept quiet. What more was there to say? They knew better than to sit down and hope for the best.

XxX

After days of knocking and getting no answer, Professor McGonagall was at wits end. She knew that her former student hadn't left her room at all, and the House Elves had also reported that she would rarely eat her full meal. So she had used another one of her vantages and entered the room, worried beyond caring that she would normally never invade someone's privacy like this.

The young woman had been dear to her since she had joined her house at the age of eleven.

The headmistress found her curled up on her bed, with red rimmed eyes and a bleeding lip.

"Miss Granger!" She shouted and hurried to her ex-student's side. The poor girl was pale and looked like she had a fever. Her eyes opened when she heard her name, but her voice was hoarse.

"I was just a little ill, nothing to worry about." Hermione tried to lie, but knew there was no way the Headmistress would buy her act. She sat up, but felt like there was no energy left to do anything more.

"I'm disappointed!" Professor McGonagall chided her and looked around the unmade room. "Why didn't you ask for help if you are ill, I was worried."

"It's nothing, really." Hermione tried again, but felt herself lean back against the bed. She felt dizzy and didn't want to talk to anyone. The cocoon of self-pity she had wrapped herself in was broken open and she didn't want to connect with the real world again.

"Why would you make me worry if it was nothing Miss Granger? I knocked nearly every day the last week and never got an answer."

Minerva could see that Hermione was lying to her. She was far from fine and whatever she was dealing with was worse than the Headmistress had anticipated. It didn't look like an illness of the body, but of the mind, something she had witnessed many times right after the war. The food was untouched and the young woman sat on her bed with a far-away look in her eyes, hugging herself. Professor McGonagall wasn't sure if it was something she could help the younger woman with and thought of the one woman that had helped so many of them after Voldemort was defeated. She had made sure that the students felt welcome and safe after Hogwarts was finally reopened and had had an open ear for all the Professors and their fears.

"I want you to talk to Poppy Miss Granger."

Hermione blinked and tried to focus on the grey haired witch in front of her. She hadn't noticed that the Professor had moved closer to her. Her head took a second to understand what was said, until she was able to answer.

"Madam Pomfrey? She's still at Hogwarts?"

"Not like she was when you went to school, but she lives in Hogsmeade and visits from time to time to help out in the Infirmary. Hannah Abbott manages Hogwarts' infirmary most of the time."

The Headmistress sat down on a chair next to the bed, her anger had long abided, and she smiled sadly at the woman in front of her.

"We all have regrets, even now, twenty years later. I have lead this school for two decades now, but still feel like I can't do right by Severus. When I learned he was dead, and that my last words towards him would always be those of hate and mistrust I decided I would do better by the other children. I wanted to close the gap between the houses, but nearly nothing changed. I'm not ignorant of the problems we still have here, but I can finally understand why Dumbledore never did more against it. I can't agree with the way he preferred his Gryffindors, but I see now how hard it is to be unbiased. I was Head of House for many decades before I was made Headmistress. In that position I built an affinity for my house, way more than when I was a simple student. I have seen whole families going through school, from mother to child to grandchild, of whom many died in the war. I cheered on my Quidditch team and looked after trouble makers. I always tried not to favour the students of my house, but looking back now I was never as strict with them as with others."

There was a halt in the Headmistress' voice and she shook her head. Hermione didn't comment but looked at the older woman in wonder, trying to understand the deep regret she heard in her voice.

"We all lost too much to carry on as we did, we can't be ignorant any longer. That's the decision I made for myself and I try to live by it."

The woman arose from the chair and smiled fondly at the bushy haired witch in the bed.

"You need to make a decision for yourself Miss Granger. The girl that was sorted into my house, would she have given up like this?"

When the door clicked close behind her, Hermione was still lost in thoughts, trying hard to remember the ambitious, strong girl she had once been.

* * *

 **AN: Eva did the fastest beta work ever this evening because I was in Czechia this week and forgot my tablet, just to come home and have no internet to send it to her.**

 **The good thing is, I saw a lot of great nature and bought myself one or two or three new Harry Potter clothes and Lego on our city trip. I simply fell in love with the Marauders Map pyjama. Age doesn't matter!**

 **On a personal note: I wanted to show the haressment Scorpius is going through. If you ever notice something like that going on around you, please be someone who stands up and confronts people. It doesn't matter if you are small, tall, ordinary, beautiful, deformed, brunette, blond, gay, transgender or simply shy. We all have a right to be who we are, without getting bullyed for it. Others can talk, disagree or laugh about it, but they should do it with dignity!**

 **I'll never forget the days I was bullied for beeing the only girl in an all boys class, because I was the best in technics. The boy who stood by my side more than 20 years ago was my husbands groomsman not to long ago. He's my oldest friend and I don't know how I would have done it without him. It didn't matter to him that I was an outcast, that he was the coolest guy in our class or that we annoyed each other. When they kept coming at me again and again for various reasons - hair, clothes, missing makeup, my name and other things - he made them stop, because it pissed him off to see someone bullied. At that point I had cried myself to sleep more than once, but no one knew, because I verbally opposed my bullys at every turn. You never know how bad a person takes haressing by the way they react im front of you. So please be someone like him and just remind others that they should be fair and polite and not belittle others. #Nooneneedsbullies**


	56. Madame Pomfrey's magic

**Chapter 56 – Madame Pomfrey's magic**

If it was possible, the old matron didn't look a day older than the last time Hermione had seen her, tending to the many wounded, while the Battle of Hogwarts raged on out of her infirmary. Her grey curls were pulled back from her face in a simple up-do and her blue eyes had wrinkles around them, that made her look softer. The white hat she always wore had vanished and her clothes were typical everyday robes, in staidly blue.

Madame Pomfrey had knocked on Hermione's door the day after her confrontation with Professor McGonagall and made it known that she wouldn't leave until Hermione had started talking.

The start had been hard. Hermione knew what she wanted, but it was very hard to make her mind and heart cooperate with it. It felt a lot like she was fighting herself over every decision.

She had tried for a child, but now that it fell through, she knew she had to come to terms with her life here. The last few weeks had been hard on her body and mind. Holed up in her room, with no contact, she was grateful that Professor McGonagall had torn her out of her lethargy.

Explaining it to the kind woman in front of her took time, and while she tried to reason, Hermione knew she sounded crazy most of the time. Still, Madame Pomfrey was kind and understanding. Hermione had the inkling that she had been briefed about the whole situation beforehand, because she only nodded when Hermione tried to explain her messed up time travel, that wasn't really a time, but more of an alternate timeline travel.

The hardest part was talking about her daughter, but Hermione knew she couldn't keep quiet about it once she started. It poured out of her, because she had kept it in for too long. The grief, the injustice, and ultimately the feeling of failure. That she had failed as a mother, as a woman and as a human being.

Madame Pomfrey's voice was quiet and stable, never giving away any negative emotion, just comfort.

"Nothing can take the time you spend with your daughter from you. The love that was born from you will always stay with you. The hard part is letting her go, and it'll take time. To accept, to understand, and then to finally get over it. Take the time you need, but don't draw away from those around you. You don't need to laugh if you don't feel like it, you can cry if you want, but feel, talk and share. You need to allow yourself to grieve."

Both of them looked at the small pendant in Hermione's hand. She had opened it while talking, watching the small photo of her laughing daughter that repeated the same scene again and again.

"I'm afraid." Hermione admitted in a low muter and looked away. She hated all these negative feelings and wanted to bury them as deep inside her as possible, but now that she was finally able to breath and think again she wanted to deal with them the right way. The weeks in bed had helped overcoming the worst of her breakdown, but talking brought it back to the forefront of her mind. At the same time she noticed that thinking about it wasn't as bad as before and that she was starting to see her decisions as the bad choices they were. It wasn't a pleasant discovery.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know how to describe it." Maybe she mused, she just didn't want to. There were to many things that made her heart race in panic. Thinking about it made it hard to breathe again. She fought against the feeling, clawed at her body from inside, to make herself give the answer.

"Thinking. The loud noises, big groups, seeing the dead again."

"But why?" Madame Pomfrey inquired in a nearly whispering voice.

"Because they mean I could lose them. Lose my daughter, my husband, my friends, maybe even myself and my sanity."

"Didn't you already lose all of that? So, why are you afraid?"

To hear Poppy talk like that hurt like a knife. The truth rang in these words, a truth Hermione didn't want to see. Her vision got smaller and she noticed herself drawing in ragged breaths. Answering was nearly impossible.

"I..." Hermione stopped and thought about the words again. There had been tears in her eyes before, that finally fell freely now. The simple question broke something in her.

"You are afraid of accepting Miss Granger. But that makes you lose them all over."

For a long time nothing could be heard but breaths and then finally Hermione answered.

"Yes, yes I am." The words were strong and for the first time Hermione felt like she meant them. They might sound simple, but it was hard to express them.

"The past can never be removed Miss Granger. Just like a wound that hasn't fully healed it will hurt time and again. Unfortunately, it's all over. That doesn't mean it won't get better again. So I want you to relax when you notice your own upcoming panic. It won't work in the beginning, but you are intelligent, so whenever you notice something is wrong, breathe, and try to think about your fear. Accept that you are afraid and then ask yourself, why are you afraid? Just thinking about it is a way to help stopping it. Not everything you see is true."

XxX

 _Hermione remembered seeing Draco in their hideout. It wasn't something she had been supposed to see. In a flashback the scene played out in front of her eyes._

 _When she entered the room Scorpius' bed was in, she stopped at the door-frame. Draco sat on his son's bed, his back turned to her. Scorpius loved to be tugged in by his dad and they cherished the few evenings when it was possible. She had only wanted to remember Draco that his time window was about to close, but she could see Scorpius' eyes were still open._

 _"I'm not a hero." Draco whispered to his son, so low Hermione nearly missed it. "I have done to many bad things."_

 _There was a catch in his voice, but Scorpius shook his head vehemently. The small boy adored his father, and nothing Draco would ever say could make him stop. Hermione was rather proud of herself, for the stubbornness she had installed into his son._

 _"You not do bad stuff dad!" The blond child declared and puffed annoyed. "You keep us safe."_

 _"Yes, I do. Because the reason I changed is you." He ruffled his son's hair and smiled at him._

XxX

Her Draco had risked everything for his family. He wanted to keep them safe and lost everything because of it.

Remembering it made her feel like a fool.

She had many people around her, all of them reached out for her, tried to help her, and she hid herself. Talking to Madame Pomfrey made her see herself. This afraid woman that shunned contact. She had avoided everyone and everything the last weeks, made hateful comments to shove away most of her old friends even before. She had tricked and used Draco for personal gain, that now backfired, because it was very likely that he would never talk to her again. Her children had reached out for her, but she had not really tried. She had vented her anger at Rose, made Scorpius the target of her insecurities and derided Hugo's tries of bonding with her. The two children in this school that were her own had tried to reach out to her and she had felt detached, while she had focused on the boy that never knew her.

When she looked at herself, she hated what she became. Blaming it on her grief couldn't excuse her behaviour.

"Oh God, what have I done Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked the witch she had spent the afternoon with in disbelief.

"Nothing that is irreversible, child." The old matron assured her and watched the woman in front of her cry. She wrapped an arm around her when she started to tremble and let her break down in company, silently sitting with her until it would be over.


	57. A library visit

**Chapter 57 – A library visit**

As Scorpius knocked on Miss Granger's door, he knew his face was bright red. Their plan was good, he had to admit that, but he was still worried and felt bad. Albus had talked him through the execution more than once, but he still felt like they were doing something wrong. Heck, he knew it was wrong, but Albus wouldn't listen. His best friend wanted to solve their problem alone, and he understood him to a certain degree. They both had enough problems with their parents and school as it was.

When Miss Granger opened her door he curtsied her, like he was taught to do since he was small, and smiled shyly. She looked at him surprised, but took a step back to open some space for him to enter, greeting him softly. Like they had agreed on Scorpius took a step forwards but didn't enter. This hopefully left enough time for Albus, who stood right next to him unseen, to enter the room. Under his family's Cloak of Invisibility he was well hidden and it should be rather easy for him to sneak into the room. They had both agreed that getting out could be the harder part, so Scorpius needed to hear the password later, just in case. They didn't know if it was possible to open the door from the inside without it. Normally it was easy to leave a room, but the teachers quarters were different from the rest of school.

"Good Morning Miss Granger, would you do me the favour of accompanying me to the library. I would be honoured to show you something there I found." There was short insecure halt in his sentences until Scorpius added:

"I also would like to thank you for your thoughtful Christmas present."

Scorpius knew he words were really formal, but he couldn't bring himself to treat her casual just yet. She was a war hero, aunt to his best friend, but a stranger to him. Even their afternoon together, instituted by his father, hadn't changed it.

Scorpius admitted to himself that adored her, she was a strong and caring towards him, something he wished for himself to be one day, but she was still a stranger. As long as he didn't hear anything back from his father, that would change this somehow, he felt like he wasn't allowed to be casual with her. The short conversation with his father over Christmas had kind of dashed his hope, that it would change anytime soon. His father wasn't an open or sharing person when his feelings were involved. He had taught Scorpius to never give others the power to hurt you, and feelings showed your weakness. It wasn't a lesson Scorpius had been good at, but he tried.

Still, there was also her strange behaviour towards her own kids, contrary to how she treated him, she was cold and strained the few times he saw her around them. That included, his feelings towards her were vague, and he couldn't decipher them yet. Yet there was a part of him that longed for the loving mother he had seen on his time travel.

After his question, Hermione nodded and vanished, leaving the door open. He hadn't listened to what she said in greeting, his nerves to riled up. It was the perfect opportunity for Albus to sneak in, and Scorpius sighed with relive when he heard a rustle next to himself that vanished towards the entrance. When Hermione reappeared in the door, she wore a cosy robe and a scarf.

"We can go." She announced and closed the door firmly behind herself.

They walked the whole distance towards the library in silence. Hermione looked ahead and Scorpius watched her from the corner of his eye. He hadn't seen her since the holidays were over and she looked weary and tired. The bags under her eyes were even more pronounced than before Christmas and while her robe looked like it was new, she looked even more haggard.

When they entered the silent library on the first floor, Madame Pince looked up and nodded a greeting at them before returning to her work.

Walls full of books opened into small labyrinthine passages, filled with abandoned study tables. Most light came from small orbs that floated at the high celling, while the stained-glass windows added to a nostalgic feeling, but gave nearly no light. From time to time a book flew by and sorted itself into a shelve higher up, instructed by Madame Pince.

Scorpius took the path to a small passage that turned twice until he stood in front of the wooden bookshelf he had sought. He stretched and took a book of the shelf to hand it to Hermione.

"It's a biography." He hesitated when he saw her frown. "I researched and this was the only one that was mostly unbiased and detailed. It contains every wizard and witch that received an Order of Merlin after the war, including you."

It was the best he had been able to come up with to lure her out too. Maybe it could even help her to reconstruct the last 20 years.

"Do you know my children Scorpius?"

The question surprised the blond boy, but in a pleasant way. It showed him that she wasn't as cold as he had seen her the last months. He could accept, that meeting two teenagers you never saw before and concede them as your children made everything awkward. Deciding to help her to the best of his abilities Scorpius thought about the two Granger-Weasley's.

"I don't know much about Hugo. He only started school this year, but I could ask Albus. Rose is something else. Since she's Albus' cousin, and our year, I sometimes get to talk to her. I even had a crush on her for a long time. She's a bit of a snob." Scorpius blushed, but hemmed and carried on. It was not a secret how he had followed Miss Granger's daughter around with puppy eyes most of the last few years. Albus always said with his bold approach he would be better suited in Gryffindor than Slytherin.

"Just last week I met her on the train. Uhm, so, your daughter entered the carriage Alb and me were in, looking all high and mighty. She doesn't like me very much, so she acts that way around me. Normally she can be really sweet too. It's just the rumours that put her off, I think. My family has a rather harsh background. Anyway, she had already changed into her robes and came to remind us in her usual bossy tone. Her and Albus always bicker when she does it and she turned around haughty, pissed because he didn't follow her command. And there it was, the toilet paper stuck on the backside of her robe, giving her a white little tail swinging with her steps. It took away her whole attitude. I hope her friends told her, because Alb made me shut up when I tried."

Scorpius laughed awkward after he finished his little story and Hermione felt reminded of her own behaviour when she was younger.

Neither of them saw the small Ravenclaw boy sitting not far from them, that watched them with a feeling of betrayal spreading his heart. He clenched his hand around the feather he wrote with and looked down at his parchment, trying to ignore the figures standing not far from him. He couldn't hear them, and Hermione had her back to him, but the happy face of Scorpius Malfoy right next to his mother made him want to lash out. It was an emotional reaction he repressed. Gathering his stuff, he threw it into his bag and hurried from the library. He didn't want to see this.

Not long afterwards, Hermione was back at her room with her newly acquired book, when she noticed that someone had breached her wards. She knew it as soon as she entered her room, after she was back from her stroll to the library with Scorpius. The wards had picked up no ill intend, else they would have kept the intruder out, so Hermione relaxed.

Still, something was tickling at the edge of her consciousness, but she wasn't sure what. It fluttered just out of reach and she felt the frustration build.

Hermione struggled to capture the information that evaded her and felt the frustration spike. She wanted to scream, but let her jaw clench her moth shut. She hated when her mind placed tricks on her like this.

Instead she focused on something else, while she reset her wards to alter her as soon as someone stepped a foot into her room without invitation. She was irritated that she had been lax with her security, but she reminded herself that she wasn't in a warzone anymore.

Regathering her thoughts she pushed the intruder into the back of her mind, unsure if it was even of importance. Until she figured out what made her feel like she was overlooking something, she knew it was best to refocus. Sometimes the realisations came to her in the oddest moments.

Instead Hermione made a plan, on how she could make it up to Rose and Hugo that she hadn't been able to respect their wish to spend Christmas together. She hoped the presents she had decided on were to their liking, but without knowing the kids and just a little help from Hugo the presents had felt impersonal. Thinking back now, she was just happy she had even remembered Christmas at all, as disconnected with this new world as she had felt.

She hadn't heard back from Draco either and worried that she had overstepped some kind of mark. Now that she was mostly thinking clearly again she could only groan about her behaviour towards him.

Ruffling through her letters she caught sign of the one from Ron again she had ignored until now. Knowing she had to stop avoiding everything that made her feel insecure or brought up bad memories she ripped it open. Silently thanking Poppy for helping her come to terms with her feeling she started to look at the letter.

Reading it, her heart sank and she felt dread settle in, but for completely other reasons than she had thought.

Setting it down she started a list. She had to plan out her next move with care, and if there was something she still believed herself to be good at, it was planning.

* * *

 **Found some mistakes? Yep, this is unbetaed. I was ill and at work 12 days without a break and now my cute beta Eva is down with something too.**

 **If you are interested in writing some HP fanfiction, why not join my at AO3 for my Christmas challange:**

 _Www dot archiveofourown dot org/collections/HP_Advent_Calendar_in_Spells/profile_


	58. A bad decision

**Chapter 58 – A bad decision**

It wasn't uncommon for a raven to be around Hogwarts all year round, but the storm raging around the castle had made them all leave. All but one black bird, which was hidden in an alcove outside the Great Hall. It sat motionless and Professor Sprouse wondered how it had gotten in. Normally the wards repelled wild animals. The school rules allowed ravens as familiars, but limited them to the Owlery, the Dorms and the Great Hall. The bird was looking around with intelligent eyes without moving and when their gazes met, a feeling of recognition hit Professor Sprouse.

The thoughts in her head started to whirl, while she tried to place the feeling.

She knew that it could simply be the bird outside in the Courtyard she fed on some nights, but it felt like more and made her uneasy. She had seen the eyes once already, somewhere, not too long ago.

Looking at the bird over her shoulder once more the Professor carried on towards the Astronomy Tower. Dinner was over and her class would start soon, as it was already dark outside. They were lucky today, as the clouds that had hung over the school all day had vanished and the snow had stopped falling. It would be cold atop the tower, but she would be able to teach some more star charts. Since winter break they had spent most nights inside, the weather rarely allowing a practical class. The first years joining her this evening were in dire need of more than just listening and memorising, she could already feel them loosing interest in her subject, and the year had just started. It would be their first experience with the telescope today and she hoped to show them that Astronomy was more than just names and star charts. They would only learn its importance for potions and arithmetic later on, after they had a solid base of knowledge, until then she had to keep them interested. The new moon was already over, but it would still be a good night to watch the stars, the next full moon was still a week away. Mercury would be visible at the Greatest Eastern Elongation soon. With it high above the horizon in the western sky she was rejoice at studying it with her students.

She entered her classroom and took the last stairs up to the roof to open to door for later. She only had little time left until her first years would enter the room, but she couldn't keep from going outside for a few minutes to look at the clear sky she had missed so much the last weeks. Since she had witnessed Saturn she felt uneasy and was waiting anxiously for a response from her old master. That she hadn't heard anything could either mean that it wasn't important, or that they had to look into it.

She missed talking to her Master. She even missed the hot winters in Swaziland. Life there had been hard, both the environment and being an outsider, but she had grown up to accept and love it. Coming back to Scotland was the best decision, she wouldn't do anything different, but her heart longed for what she had left behind. She had known when she started her internship that she would never be allowed to see them again. Contacting her master was already a bold move, but she wanted certainty. With a last glimpse of the stars she turned around to let her students in.

In the darkness she never saw the raven sitting on top of the tower, following her with its eyes.

XxX

"It wasn't anywhere in her room. I searched every corner."

Albus was furious. They needed the time turner, or else Scorpius would be dead soon. Delphi had told him as much in her last letter a few days ago. Together with some facts about where they had been and what they had done to show him she really had someone watching their every step. It had dashed all his hopes to please her with his birthday letter.

He wasn't stupid, or at least not enough to risk his or Scorpius lifes, by ignoring the facts staring into his face. They were fucked if they didn't find a solution fast. It had hurt when his picture of Delphi had crumbled after reading her latest words. He wanted her to turn back to the easy-going girl he fell in love with, but her behaviour put him off and suddenly he felt dirty. Dirty because he believed in her, dirty for his feelings for her, and dirty because he did her bidding. Just remembering his fantasies of her thanking him made him feel even worse. Scorpius interrupted his thoughts thankfully.

"I know Al. She's wearing it, I saw it when we talked. It's hidden by her robes. This will be even harder than we thought." Scorpius didn't dare to mention that it had somehow looked off. He wasn't sure what about it was different, but he was rather sure that the time turner had looked changed.

"Just my luck. So we need to regain it from her directly. Maybe we can enter her room again, but at night. We would need a way to make sure she doesn't wake up. Do you still have some drops of your dreamless potion you got last time at the infirmary?"

Scorpius starred in at his roommate in disbelief and made sure once again that the silence spell they had put up held. They were gathered behind Scorpius' curtains and sat on his bed, so he didn't know if one of the others had entered the room. He knew it would fuel the rumours that they used privacy spell while in the same bed, but they couldn't risk being overheard.

"Yes, but I don't think we should do that Alb."

"Do you want to end up dead?" Albus deadpanned and played with his sleeves, showing he was not as indifferent as he let on.

"No, but I think if Miss Granger, lets say by accident, woke up while we search and we explain everything she would help us. As long as we stay silent the person watching us can't see what's happening inside a dark room, don't you think. And said person has to sleep too. I think your Aunt Hermione is our best chance to get out of this alive." Scorpius argued, while he already knew he wouldn't win. He never won against anyone, but he argued with himself that he had to try at least. If he gave up without trying that made him the worst kind of coward.

"No, we'll try once more Scorp. That plan is to risky." Albus was final and Scorpius hang his head, biting his cheek to keep his resentment hidden. Albus was better at making decisions that Scorpius, who always shyed away from it, but this time it felt wrong.

"Ok, but if it doesn't work we'll talk to her right?" There was still hope in his eyes, he knew it, and maybe Albus saw it when he answered:

"Yeh, sure we'll do."

"Then I've got a plan how to get her out of Hogwarts, maybe. We have her password so we can prepare everything while she is gone."

They shared a moment in silence, neither looking happy, but they knew they agreed on the plan for now, even without words.

* * *

 **Remember your teenager years? I for once was up to a lot off stupid bad decisions, just not as bad as Albus, I guess. But I want you to remember 5th year Harry...**


	59. No retirement without Rita!

**Chapter 59 – No retirement without Rita!**

Hugo sat in a further off aisle in the library, hidden behind a stack of books, as he tried to finish his essay on the Pepper-up Potion and the dangers of its overuse.

Since he had noticed his mother laughing with Malfoy, here in the library, while working on his assignments days ago, his focus had been elsewhere, and he had nearly forgotten it.

So when he heard his mother's voice from behind him he wheeled around in shock, sure he had misheard.

"Hello Hugo."

But there she stood, her voice the same, but looking so different from how he remembered.

There was a patient air around her he hadn't associated with her, since she lost her memories. Her clothes were muggle, simple jeans with a dark blue pullover, and her hair was tamed in a braid, something he had never seen his mother with. It made her look somehow younger.

"I have to apologise to you Hugo." Hermione murmured and smiled down at her child sadly.

"The last few months I was not in a healthy state of mind. I can't take it back, but I hope you'll accept your birthday presents, even if it's a bit late."

In her hand she held a package Hugo hadn't noticed before.

"I didn't know what you like, so I asked around. It looks like you are the only student that doesn't fall asleep while in Professor Binns' lessons. I found his lessons to be droning, but very interesting myself. Sadly he always leaves out some topics because they aren't in the lessons plan. I know it changed since I was in school, but..."

"Mom?" Hugo tried to interrupt her monologue, but Hermione carried on.

"I asked Headmistress McGonagall to explain to me what changed and she was really helpful. They just added a little bit about the wars, not much, just to make sure it doesn't happen again anytime soon. So many died."

"Mom!" This time Hugo nearly shouted and Hermione froze. She blushed, when she noticed that she had rambled about. Thinking about the war had made her lose focus, and she could feel herself tremble. She was here for this child, her son, he was what was most important now, not the old memories overwhelming her, she reminded herself. His voice broke her spiralling thoughts and made her bit her lip to centre herself into the here and now.

Hugo looked embarrassed to have shouted and looked around to make sure no one had heard him, but they were alone.

"I hope it helps you." Hermione finished with a blush in her face and a shy smile. It was obvious she was insecure, but she would stand by her decision.

Unsure how to take his mother's new behaviour, Hugo watched her, and took the package in silence. He didn't rip the paper, but opened it with care to keep the gift wrap intact.

Inside he found two books he had never seen in the Hogwarts library, and he had spent a lot of time here since the start of term. 'Magical creatures and the wars against them' and a small journal without a title on it. He opened it, and only found a handwriting he didn't recognise: For Hugo.

"I charmed it with a protean spell. That way you can always reach me. Most things I know about you I know by hearsay, something I want to change. You and your sister are strange to me, but you are my family. Whenever you want to talk please knock on my door or write. I can't promise much, but I will try my best."

Hugo blinked away a tear and bit his lower lip just like Hermione always did. He still felt hurt by her, but Hugo wasn't one to be resentful and logical he knew that he couldn't blame his mother for forgetting. Hell, he couldn't even recognise her handwriting anymore, it had changed so much. Still, that didn't keep him from hurting. He cradled the books against his chest and thought about the conversation he had with his father the night of his birthday.

Could he try again, like he had before Christmas? She had never turned away from him when he reached out, but it had felt hollow to talk to her. She had been curt, sometimes cold and he had felt like she had not listened to him in the way she had when he was a child. Like he never had her full attention. She was there, but not really.

Not the way he had seen her with Scorpius Malfoy. He had never hated the boy like his father or sister did, just because he was the Malfoy heir, but now he hated him for his own reasons. The boy stole his mother from him and he wanted to make him pay for keeping the woman that replaced her to himself. He and his mother had planned to write letters every day, she was his best friend, his confidant, and now he felt alone.

Hugo had made no friends since the start of the year, the only person he talked to regularly was Lucy. His sister acted strange and now she spent most of the time with her boyfriend and his other cousins had not too much interest in the youngest member of the Weasley family.

The strange loner that loved to talk about books and history, that was him. Lost in his thoughts he nearly missed his mother's whispered good bye.

"I'll leave you to it. You can write me whenever you want Hugo."

Still unsure what to say he nodded in silent and watched her back until she vanished around the corner. Looking down at the small book in his hands he got up to find some tome to research the protean spell she mentioned.

XxX

Her retirement hit the wizarding world like a storm. Three months after the Minister of Magic had vanished from the public eye it was official. The Prophet stated some health problems and quoted the Wizengamot statement in the early morning. Of course one Rita Skeeter took it as her clue to speculate about the rumours of Hermione's virtue in her column.

 _Love affair makes Minister retire_

 _Earlier this morning the Wizengamot resigned their appointed Minister of Magic Mrs. Hermione Granger-Weasley for unknown reasons. For the last three months not much was seen from her, but Rita Skeeter found out some juicy details, dear reader. Her husband Ronald Weasley was seen in bad mood from time to time but chose not to answer any of our questions. He had tears in his red rimmed eyes most of the time, making us believe something bad has happened._

 _Old friends of the couple stated earlier this week that Hermione had moved out of their shared home and that a divorce was in the air. She seems to have moved in with her lover over the last months and left Mr. Weasley to nurse his heartbreak at the pub he was seen at frequently._

 _Enquiry at the Ministry confirmed the suspicions for us today. The divorce between Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger was granted nearly two months ago, but was kept under wraps. Did Mr. Weasley find out about his ex-wife's wild affair and made her hide to take over her assignment?_

 _Stay tuned dear readers, this reporter will find out everything for you._

 _Rita Skeeter_


	60. A letter from son to father

**Chapter 60 – A letter from son to father**

"Hello Hogwarts!" A voice boomed over the Quidditch field and made the whole stadium cheer.

"It's the first match of the new year. Ravenclaw against Slytherin!" More cheers erupted from the crowd. It was nearly deafening when the student's body made their excitement clear, applauding and stamping incessantly. It didn't matter that it was cold enough to freeze into the seats, or that the snow was more than one yard high.

The gates opened and flashes of green and blue entered the field, as the players shot out of the changing room on their brooms. No one wanted to walk in the high snow.

"Let's hear you cheer! Ravenclaws!" The blue eagles gathered in a loose half circle in front of their stands and held up their fists. Their housemates cheered and slammed their foot into the wooden floor of the stands.

"We got some women power here this year. Team Captain and Beater: Joanna Tate. Her fellow Beater sister: Lena Warren. Chasers: Lucia Lennox, Loretta Davies and Marco Goldstein, our first male member. The second and last male member Austin Egwan, filling the Keeper position, and last but not least, last years best eyes of the year, the Ravenclaw seeker Harriett Carmichael!"

After every member of Ravenclaw was announced, Gerald made a short break.

"And now the Slytherins!"

The green snakes flew by their house stands and circled around cheering with their own house mates, as the Gryffindor stand, next to theirs, booed.

"The lovely Sakura Takagi leads this team in her position as Keeper. She got two strong arms as her Beaters: Byron Peebles and Sebastian Burke. Chasers: Darius Pucey, Roy Warrington and Felix Flint. Andddddd their Seeker: Benjamin Rosier! They won the first game and lead the Quidditch Rank at the moment." Now the Slytherins cheered so loud the Gryffindors were drowned out.

"Teams, get into position. Madame Hooch will start the game."

The students fell silent when the Flying Class teacher took her spot in front of the wooden chest, housing the balls.

"I want a clean game. Make me proud!" She shouted into the silence and released the balls, which got the players moving and the crowd to start shouting. It was like a vacuum had sucked all of the sounds and exploded when the snitch was released by her.

"Here we goooo!" Gerald said in in a strange accent and nearly all muggleborns started to laugh, filling the stadium with their good mood.

"Have you seen her yet?" Albus asked when he could finally hear his own word again.

"No, but I wrote to my father." Scorpius answered whispering and promised: "It will work."

"Lennox has caught the Quaffle, and now races towards the Slytherin hoops. Byron tries to stop her with a Bludger, but she shows us her best twirl, dodging it. There come Pucey and Flint. Can they box her in? No she throws the Quaffle anddd... Takagi defends her hoops and passes the Quaffle to Flint."

The next three hours passed in much of the same. Neither team was able to gain a large number of goals and after the first two had passed most of the students just wished for the game to end to go back to the warm fire of their Common Room.

"I think our eagle eye saw something. Yes, she is gaining speed. Carmichael is after the Golden Snitch and now Rosier is hot on her tail. Tate tries to help her fellow member with a Bludger, but Rosier manages a sloth grip roll in mid dive. If he keeps going at this speed he will crash. Carmichael is zig-zagging on the ground and now she gains height again. Rosier was able to catch up to her and now they both reach out. Owwww, that must have hurt. Both Seeker crashed into the Hufflepuff stands."

There were some shouts and a general commotion broke out, while everyone waited to see if the Seekers were still on their brooms.

Madame Hooch whistled and held up her arm, showing everyone that the game was over and one of the two had caught the snitch. Her voice carried over the pitch loud and clear.

"Rosier caught the Golden Snitch. Slytherin wins the game!"

"Really..." Albus grumbled, but it was lost in his house mates cheering. Looking at his best friend he rolled his eyes and dragged him down the stairs of the stand. He wanted to get the best seats in the Common Room for the party tonight. It was Valentinsday, Albus birthday and he could think of nothing better, than watching the rest of his house getting drunk for blackmail material. They would need it, to keep them off their back.

XxX

Draco was mad. No, he wasn't mad, he was livid. If it went on like this he would have to fire some of his workers. The sales from the last quarter were disastrous.

He clenched his hand around the handkerchief on his table and ignored the embroidered dragon on it, that moved around to keep from getting squeezed. He pouched it and abandoned his office in a bad mood, to call it a day after more than 10 hours at work without a solution to his trouble.

He wouldn't admit to himself that he had trouble focusing on work since his son's owl had arrived midday. He had read it and promptly decided to ignore the implied appeal, the Daily Prophet's article about the woman in question still fresh in his mind.

Hermione Granger was already accused of cheating on her ex-husband and his son wanted him to set up a meeting with her again. He was not up for the social suicide it would entail meeting her at the moment, if they were seen. Still, there was the nagging feeling of disappointing his son by ignoring his wish. Draco was on the horns of the dilemma and it irritated him.

When he left the Floo at home he cleaned himself with a flick of his wand, before he went up to his bedroom and threw it on his night-stand, to loose his tie. Getting out of his robes he hung them up, unable to have them look dishevelled, even when they had to be washed. Calling his elf to have him do the laundry he nearly forgot the handkerchief until the old elf handed it to him.

"Sir, I is not sure tis is laundry."

"Of course Bonn, I will keep this." Draco said and sat down with the gift in his hand. Of course when he was done thinking of her, this cloth had to remind him again. Holding it up Draco studied it once again. The fabric was a light grey, filled with many stitches, most of them making up the silver and green dragon that was breathing fire from time to time. It moved like it had a mind of it's own around the many runes that were also added. When he had opened his gift he had spent days checking the runes to be sure non of them were spiteful. Some were so rare it had taken looking through several books to find their meaning. As they were all interacting, he was still unable to make out the full extent of what this kerchief did. It was the main reason he kept it on him so much, instead of leaving it somewhere. He liked a good riddle and this was a huge one.

He knew several runes were for safety, as well as sobriety and another one for fortunateness. With the cloth in hand he felt his mind clear and his thoughts could centre on a subject easier. It was so complex that Draco knew Granger had spent a lot of time on it. When the thought came up the first time he had felt oddly betrayed, because the thoughtful gift wasn't really for him, but his other version. Then he felt stupid because he caught himself falling for her thoughtfulness. He knew everyone thought he was heartless and cold, but he was just protecting himself. He hadn't wanted to get to close to anyone, because he had to protect himself. Opening up to others was not something he learned and he had seen what it did to others. Most of them ended up hurt and it was what feared the most, so he shied away from feelings.

Even with Scorpius he felt some kind of distance between them and his son was to only person he ever truly tried to be close to as a grown man. Had he loved his wife? He liked to think he had cherished her, but he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he could have done better.

It was what made this whole situation nearly unbearable. Against his self-preservation he was drawn to Granger. He had been since school days, but for one reason or another she had been off limits. He wanted to know more about her. Why did she know old runes most books didn't even mention and why was she so fixed on him. She was intelligent and brave, but acting strange since her time travel. She knew how to rile him up, breaking through his defences with ease.

Looking at the kerchief Draco groaned, because he knew he would lose this fight against himself. He would do what his son asked of him and send an owl to her. He would need to risk something, but maybe it was worth imaging his son's smile. It was what he had in mind when he penned a short message to her with a place and date to meet. He would be a better father than his own, even if he had to act brave when he wasn't.

* * *

 **AN: I'm still looking for some other writers to join in on the challange for an Advent Calendar I opened up over at AO3. Send me a private message if you are interested. I will also post some happier stories to go along with it in December on AO3. Anyway I hope by then we finally get deeper into the true Dramione in this story. It's already written, so stay tuned ;)**


	61. A mother's wisdom

**Chapter 61 – A mother's wisdom**

They sat in silence in a small cafe not far from Grimmauld Place and Hermione stirred her coffee. Between deciding to follow Poppy's advices and the action taking there was a huge gape. She wasn't used to relying on others, or allowing them to help her. It was something Madame Pomfrey had pointed out to her, amongst many other things she had to fix, and she had to agree. So she stirred her coffee and searched for the right way to start this conversation.

Hermione would have preferred the tranquillity of Grimmauld Place to this place, but her panic wasn't as bad as before and she knew she could do this, even with the big announcement in the Daily Prophet just days ago keeping her further on edge. This muggle establishment might have been the best choice to avoid reporters.

What was the worst that could happen here anyway, she had asked herself, and decided that it was worth the risk. Her mother's words from so many years ago rang in her ears and she smiled thinking of the kind woman she had done everything to protect so many years ago.

You can't hid from death my little angel. It can find you, wherever you are. Crossing the street is just as deadly as flying a plane.

It had been the first time they went on a family holiday, long before Hermione had gotten her Hogwarts letter. She couldn't remember exactly, but she had done a lot of research and it's because she had read about so many risks about flying and planes that she had become so afraid. Afraid enough to throw a tantrum that she wouldn't enter the death trap. Of course she had flown, but since then she had been afraid of heights, clinging to her father the whole time. Still her mother's words had somehow stayed with her.

"I talked to Poppy after I found out I wasn't pregnant." Hermione whispered into her cup, but didn't look at Ginny. The redhead didn't say anything, but she exhaled and gave a sad, but relieved, smile. "You were my best friend after Harry died, and we shared everything. After I came back here I talked to you, but the more we talked the more afraid I grew. I'm sorry for the way I behaved."

"We know you have a hard time at the moment." Ginny agreed but didn't elaborate.

"I told you about sleeping with Malfoy, because I knew you wouldn't agree with it and would be put off. I told Harry about what I had done to Ron, because I knew it would make him back off. I did it to push you away, and I am sorry."

Silence settled over them, while Hermione took a sip of her coffee. She went over what she had said in her head again to make sure she covered everything she had written down. There was a list of things she had wanted to say, hidden in her pocket, but she didn't need to see it to remember.

"Sometimes I see Mom crying in the kitchen, when she sees the family picture from our visit in Egypt. 'Time flies so fast, and those days have long ago started to fade away. All we can do is look forward for new adventures and experiences. Parting is the beginning of something new, but it hurts to keep going when you are only looking back. Every person we encounter and start to love is a small miracle, but how are we to meet new people if we stand still?'"

The words where whispered and Hermione looked at Ginny with a rather perplex look on her face. She was so unused to her friend being so mature and wise, that it was a shock of some sort.

"We knew what you were doing, but Harry and me let you be, instead of fighting for you. What I just told you were not my own words, but Mom's. I asked her on Christmas how she did it, to pull through after loosing Fred. We all knew she was a complete mess the first few weeks, but then suddenly she started to go back to the strong woman I knew since I was a little girl. She told me these words. They made her pull herself together. Because she wanted to continue her life, for herself, for Fred and for the rest of us."

"Molly is a strong woman." Hermione whispered in awe, remembering with a cringe the howler she had received not to long ago from the woman. If there was someone out there with a true lion's heart, it was Molly Weasley.

"So are you Hermione." Harry said from behind Hermione and smiled at her when he joined his wife on the table. He put down the slices of cake in front of the woman and continued talking.

"You know, Dumbledore once told me, 'Do not pity the dead. Pity the living and above all, pity those who live without love.' " He returned his gaze to Hermione and put his hand on her shoulder. "So many people love you, Hermione. We wouldn't stop because you made it hard for us. Still, I'm happy you are talking to us openly again."

"I told Harry after your last visit that I can't be mad at you. Just imagining what you are going through makes me understand." Ginny smiled at her husband in a way that radiated the love she felt for him to everyone watching them.

"But I'm still mad at you." Harry quipped in, glaring at Hermione for a second, until his features relaxed again.

"When did Ginny get so forgiving?" Hermione smiled and laughed. It was soft and uncertain, but lit her face up.

"You saw?" Ginny asked her husband with a nudge and big smile on her face.

"Yes, I saw..." Harry agreed and smiled at his wife.

"What?" Hermione asked unsure.

"You smiled!" Ginny announced and shot up from her chair, hugging Hermione to her chest. Hermione startled with a fright, but didn't draw her wand. It was an improvement she reminded herself and tried to calm down, while awkwardly hugging Ginny back. How long ago was the last time someone really hugged her she mused, but couldn't remember.

"Ok Ginny, yes I smiled. Don't squash me to death for it." Hermione said, but it was muffled. There was a bright smile on Ginny's face when she finally let go and looked at Hermione again.

Now that she finally reconnected with her feelings everything felt amplified and much more intense, even her happiness.

"We have three children, that's how she learned to be forgiving. You saw what Albus can be like. –"

"Harry." Hermione interrupted him. "Don't beat yourself up over this. I don't know your son, but I had a teenager son myself not too long ago. They tend to make stupid decisions, they mess up and they grow out of it. Just remember our own years at Hogwarts. I never told my parents the whole story, never!"

"Now who's the forgiving one?" Ginny joked and they shared another smile between mothers.

* * *

 **AN: Well, I think of this meeting as the first one on a road of recovery. The next Chapter will be a mix of different situations dealing with PTSD in a more positiv way. I can only describe it from what I understand of it, and in no way it is meant to portray PTSD in it's whole. Thank you for your support and comments. It was hard to write so much dark stuff up to now, but I want to build up this character no matter how dark, occ or sad it was. Let's carry on.**

 **Your Angel**


	62. Blurred Dreams

**Chapter 62 – Blurred Dreams**

 _Hermione made her way through the dark woods, trying hard to navigate her way, while the trees seemed to imprison her with their branches. She was panting and cold rain hit her, while her breath fogged in front of her with each exhale._

 _She tried to run, but it felt like she had to tread water, her legs were heavy and the wind pressed against her, thwarting her movement forward._

 _There wasn't much she could see, the trees blocked most of the moonlight, so it reached neither her, nor the ground._

 _Somewhere further she was sure there had to be a clearing. She just had to push forward until she found it. The woods couldn't be endless._

 _When she finally made her way out of the looming trees into the clearing, what felt like hours later, she found herself in front of a field, covered with withered flowers. The rain came down even harder here, mixed with hailstones. Her hair clung to her skin and clothes and the hailstone that hit her hurt, but she walked out of the woods, feeling lethargic and all run down._

 _The air smelled of rain and the last lingering fragrance of herbs. Looking around Hermione tried to spot something, anything that helped her. She couldn't stop here, no matter how much it hurt, she had to go on. On the horizon the sun was not yet visible, but the darkness had already faded._

 _When she saw it, a pain suddenly hit her, making her heart clutch, while she shook and failed to stand upright. She wanted to scream, but it felt like she couldn't make a sound at all, her mouth tapped shut. The pain ricochetted off her chest, moving through her whole body, bringing tears to her eyes._

 _Just as she started to drift out of consciousness someone moved towards her. A hand reached out and stroke her hair aside, but her vision was blurred and the person remained unrecognizable to her._

 _Hermione tried to reach out, but didn't have the energy to do so. Another hand wrapped around her own and she felt calmness and happiness settle over her. It was a warm and tingling sensation that warded off the cold rain, while the bodies above and next to her shielded her from the harsh wind and most of the hailstones. She could make out the faint shine of the rising sun on the horizon._

Hermione woke up in her bed, panting, and sat up with a startle, her heart beating wildly, while the sun breached the clouded sky outside and it's first rays hit her. The dream had been vivid and she still felt cold, but the hands that had touched her lingered as a phantom touch upon her hair and hand.

Getting up with mixed feelings Hermione went to take a scorching hot shower, while she tried to figure out whom she had seen in her dream, but the figures remained blurred.

XxX

 _Ex-Minister up to something?_

 _Many want to know what our dear Ex-Minister, Hermione Granger, is up to these days. Hardly anyone has seen her, including her peers from the Ministry. So I asked around for you, dear Readers, if anyone knew about her secret lover._

 _Of course no one wanted to talk badly about her, but some agreed that her divorce was long in the making. More than once a row could be witnessed between her and her lovely ex-husband Ronald Weasley. The poor sod was talked over at home most of the time, eking out a miserable existence in the shadow of his wife. So it's good news for all single ladies out there that he is available again. He could be quite the catch once he's over his grief. Let's all wish the best for him, now that he's free again._

 _Hermione Granger herself stays hidden for now, most likely ashamed of herself. The rumours about her health get worse, but no information could be found at St. Mungo's, nor was she seen there. That brings the question of what kind of illness has befallen her. Not even her own children seem to know. They had to spend a lonely Christmas without their parents, as Miss Granger – yes she changed her name back to her maiden one – was nowhere to be found and Mr. Weasley worked at his brother's shop to provide for his family._

 _I will keep looking into this and have an update for you soon dear Reader, stay tuned!_

 _Rita Skeeter_

* * *

AN: A short chapter, but there will be a second one in a day or two ;)


	63. A safe heaven

**Chapter 63 – A safe heaven**

"How was your first time leaving the castle after we talked?" Madame Pomfrey asked and smiled reassuringly at Hermione. Encouraging the younger witch had been easy, once her mind was made up, but the healer wanted to know how she had fared. After Hermione had cried most of their first meeting, the second one had been just as sad. They had spent hours talking about Hermione's world, her past and what had happened since she came here in greater detail. To get it all out had been hard to endure, but a good step into a new direction, where Hermione started to feel at ease and at home.

"I had to talk myself into meeting up with Ginny and Harry. I nearly turned back more than once. But I did what you told me and decided the worst that could happen is shutting them out any longer. It was hard to walk around the street openly and not hex someone whenever there was a loud noise. I noticed myself jumping a few times, but I had no panic attack. So it went well?" The last came out more of a question than a statement. Hermione bit her lip nervously, while she remembered the afternoon.

"I think that admitting you're afraid, and trying to work through it, rather than hiding from it is very brave. What you have been through was a big loss. You feel it now, don't you?"

She nodded. The hallow feeling in her chest had not vanished for days, but she had stopped ignoring it. She had cried herself to sleep and finally had some nights without nightmares. The strange dream from last night didn't count as one, as she had slept through the night and beside feeling cold no other negative emotions lingered after waking up.

Madame Pomfrey carried on with a serious face.

"Good. Remember, that when you have accepted your past losses, allow yourself to grieve. Feel your emotions, Hermione, but don't drown in them. Feeling negative emotions is therapeutic, but keep in mind that you are not the sum of those feelings. Don't let them overwhelm you. You are not helpless, you don't need to fear your past. You know that you will be content again. Not today, maybe not tomorrow or next week. Just remember that you are more than what you feel and carry on like you promised yourself. There are people here to help you, you just need to ask or show us."

Hermione nodded in agreement, biting her lower lip. She liked to think she had all the answers, or knew where to get them, but it was only a coping mechanism. One she knew she had to overcome to open up and ask for help. Hadn't it be for Headmistress McGonagall's insistence that she saw Madame Pomfrey, she would still be trapped in her own thoughts, without anyone to talk it over, hiding from the outside. Hermione reached for her pendant and gripped it. To feel it in her hand grounded her. The picture inside was her proof that what she had undergone was real and feeling it in her hand made her feel safe. When she felt lost or heard loud noises it helped her to overcome her panic. It helped her heal.

"Some days I hate myself. The reasons change so much I can feel myself spinning. Mostly it's my own weakness, but sometimes it's for leaving her behind. Other times it's for helping Scorpius and messing my life up, or for feeling grateful for this peaceful world. I know what's done is done, but it's hard to come to terms with. I feel guilt."

But, her guilt didn't mean that she couldn't progress at the same time, and her regrets didn't mean that she had to live her life alone. This conclusion she had reached with Madame Pomfrey's help made it able for her to breathe more freely.

" 'Letting go doesn't mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.' It was in one of the books I read recently. There are many books about mourning. The different stages, ways to cope and more. I want to win against this hollow feelings of loss."

There was a sincere smile on the old matron's face now.

"Most take much longer than you Miss Granger to reach this point."

"I still have a lot to make up for." Interjected and looked away from the table they were sitting at, focusing on the shelf with book at the far end of the room.

"Don't push yourself to hard. You have time. Give your feelings time to settle down. Take it day by day, step by step."

Hermione knew Madame Pomfrey had become her safe heaven, never judging nor patronising, just listening to her. Her unexpected but much-needed anchor, always with an advise up her sleeve.

XxX

What was he supposed to do with this present?

Hugo had read up everything about the charm his mother had used on the book in front of him, and knew how it would work. It was a complex spell work and he was eager to try it out, but drew short with what to write.

The woman that had taken his mother's place was an enigma and he wanted to trust her, but he didn't want her to withdraw like she had before.

After having his mother as his fix point his whole life he was out of his comfort zone far further than he had ever anticipated. Coming to Hogwarts and loosing his confidant at the same time wasn't what he had bargained for.

"Hi!"

Hugo jumped up from his chair in the Ravenclaw Common Room with a fright and slammed the book shut. Right next to him was Elle, one of his classmates, who looked at him with big eyes.

"Uhmm, sorry. I just thought... you know. You are doing homework right?"

"No I am done." Hugo answered and pressed his book against his chest, gathering all his stuff that had been neatly organised on the table until he had jumped up.

"You can have the table. Sorry." Hugo grabbed his bag and dumped everything in, in a hurry to get away. He was already halfway up the stairs, but he could still hear the others snicker about him. Blinking away his tears of anger he vanished into his dorm.

"Uhmm –" Elle stood rooted to the spot he had left her and blinked, unsure what just happened.

"Oh, cool. A table near the fire. Thanks Elle!" Sebastian grinned and dropped into the chair Hugo had just vacated. Kylie and Amalia followed him and sat down.

"You saw how fast he ran? Even faster than he answers in class." Amalia laughed and shook her head.

"That's not nice, Am. I just wanted to ask if we could join him. " Elle interrupted her friends. Her face was red in shame and her hands sweaty. She wasn't one to talk up, but they were all classmates and she didn't understand why they were so mean.

"It's not our problem if he isolates himself. If he thinks he is better than us, just because his mother was the Minister until lately, it serves him well that she had a mental breakdown or something. Now there is homework to finish. Look at all the books I got from the library." Sebastian said and his eyes shone when he dropped a stack of three books on the table.

"I went right after class today, when we got the assignment, to make sure we have the best."

Lost in her own thoughts Elle sat down and started their assignment, having trouble focusing on the paper in front of her. She felt awful for the way her friends behaved and even worse because she was the reason Hugo had run away.

XxX

Hermione had hoped her son would use the book she had given him, but even a week after handing it over, there was nothing.

Her visit with Harry and Ginny had ended so well and she had hoped that Hugo would be the next person to spend time with. But there was nothing, not even a single word on the first page or any other. She had opened the book every evening, and even leafed through, to make sure.

Then there was Rose. Her daughter was a mix of her and Ron in many ways, but her own stubbornness, paired with Ron's ability to bear grudges made her hard to get close to.

She all but ignored Hermione, whenever she tried to get close to her, and went out of her way to show her mother just how much she loathed her at the moment.

Hermione's letter to inquire about Christmas came back unopened. The second one with a plea to hear her out, had a howler attached. Just three words, but Hermione could hear the tears behind the words. "Leave me alone!" The howler had told her and then vanished.

Intercepting her daughter was even harder. She was never alone and made sure to turn the other way whenever she saw her mother. The one time she had gotten to her, Rose had glared at her and yanked her arm from Hermione's grip to turn away and continue walking.

Apparently there was only one person that wanted to see her, and Hermione looked at the letter with unease. She wanted more time to prepare herself mentally, but days later she still felt hesitant, if it was the right choice to go. Now it was too late to cancel and there was nothing left to do, except to get dressed.


	64. Reunion

**Chapter 64 – Reunion**

The restaurant Draco's short notice had told her to meet him at was in Covent Garden. Hermione had heard the name Clos Maggiore once, when she was younger, when her parents had talked about it. It was a long lost memory that only came back to her after reading the note.

For a moment she wondered if her parents were still alive, safe somewhere in Australia, or if she had been able to undo her memory spell and they had a fall out. There had been no letters from them among the many she had received since she ended up here. It was something she didn't want to think about, a small hope that had reared it's head, but she squashed for now. It wouldn't do to get another panic attack right here, because she was overthinking things again. A deep breath later Hermione had cleared her mind and was able to smile, when she remembered whom she was about to see.

From the outside Clos Maggiore didn't look special, but once Hermione entered she was in awe. It was like walking into a garden, the whole restaurant was filled with flowers and other nature themed decorations. Dark wood contrasted with the expensive porcelain and shimmering wine glasses.

The waiter took her cloak and showed her to a hidden table at the end of the room without asking for her name. It was private and Draco was waiting for her with a glass of wine in hand already. When they approached he rose to set her chain in place for her.

"Granger." He greeted her without any emotions in his voice.

"Hello Draco." Hermione sat down and let her eyes follow his smooth movements when he sat back down and offered to pour water for her. She nodded her consent and tried to smile. He looked fantastic in the elegant charcoal-grey muggle tree-pieces suit. The top button was standing open and showed his throat when he drank a sip of his wine. She knew he would turn heads, even in this establishment, if others could see him. The suit was hand-made and top-of-the-line and the way he had forgone a tie made him look rather sexy. Sitting with him, the murmured voices in her head grew silent, and for the first time in days she felt less restless. Remembering Poppy's words she looked at him, enjoying that she was able to meet him at all.

They both studied each other for amoment, letting their gazes linger for longer than was appropriate in the pure blood circles Draco grew up in.

"It's a lovely restaurant. I didn't know you liked to dine in muggle London." Hermione opened the conversation, once the waiter had left them to revise the menu. It wasn't big, just three pages, and since she knew fish and meat made her nauseous, she had decided quickly.

"After the war I was denied service in most establishments in magical London. The Malfoy name was not something you could book a table with. Since it occurred more often that we got turned away, than we were served, I had to look elsewhere. The Muggles don't care about my name. All they see is the money I throw their way. So yes Hermione." He pronounced her name and looked her dead in the eyes while he talked. "I know quite a few muggle restaurant all over London."

Listening to his story her heart grew heavy. She should have known it hadn't been easy for him to fit into a world where he was seen as an enemy. Her hands smoothed her clothes to calm herself.

"Yes, I can see your point. I'm sorry I brought something unpleasant up. It was just an curious observation, a development that appealed to me."

"Think nothing of it. I fear I will spend the rest of my days undoing my father's legacy." He told her and sipped his wine again. "Have you decided?"

"Yes. Anyway, you are not your father Draco."

Hermione felt like she needed to add that little fact to remind him. Maybe she came off a little too strong, but she had learned to live with that part of herself years ago.

Just like he would always be seen as a Malfoy first, and his own person later, she had gathered equal experiences whenever she met someone new in this world. Everyone compared her to the person she was before she had the accident and she felt like they all found her lacking. She knew she was responsible for that herself, but seeing it in everyone else face made it even worse, even when she tried not to dwell on it. Talking and reconciling with Harry and Ginny was only the first step she had to take. There were others she had to apologise to, including Draco.

Closing his menu to signal the waiter he could join them Draco sat back and watched her. His grey eyes were shimmering in the light, but she couldn't read his mood.

"You look good." He offered a compliment. Looking down at her blouse and her black skirt she didn't feel beautiful, simply plain. Since she hadn't known much about the restaurant she had decided to wear something simple but elegant. It felt like he was mocking her and Hermione gazed at him to find out if he was, but his face was still an unreadable mask, so she decided to stay silent.

When the waiter stood next to their table smiling at them, Draco started his order.

"I would like another bottle of the 2009 Vaillons and the Black Angus Beef please. And for the lady...", Draco looked at her waiting for her to continue.

"The Pappardella, please, and a seasonal green leaves salad. A water will do." She hadn't missed that he had ordered another bottle, which told her he had drunken most of the first before she had even joined him. It hurt a little to know he had to refer to alcohol the even meet her, and made her question his motivation just a little bit. Why had he even written to her if her if he felt uneasy around her. Or did she make the wrong assumption?

'You are overthinking again Hermione!' a little voice in the back of her mind reminded her. Instead she decided to bring something else up.

"What do you know about Scorpius' time at Hogwarts?" Her hands were folded in her lap, clenched in tension while she tried to sound relaxed. She wanted to get what she saw the last months at school out, hoping Draco would be able to help his son where she couldn't.

"He's at Hogwarts. What's there to know?" Draco answered offhandedly. When their eyes met he saw the fire in hers and he rolled his eyes inwardly. He knew that wasn't all of it, but the lion in front of him of course wanted him to voice it all. Just good he had enough practice with Potter over the years to learn how to be frank.

"He allied himself with the Potter boy, gets moderate marks and tries to stay out of the way. He gets a lot of shit for having me as his father, something I'm not proud of. But I'd rather have him trouble for having me as a father than for the other stories they cooked up. You must have heard it by now. My son, the heir of the Dark Lord." The last was said with hardness and a hint bitterness in Draco's voice. As soon as Hermione detected it, Draco was back to his expressionless face, and gave nothing more away.

"He talked about you over Christmas." The change of topic would have looked normal to everyone else, but Hermione knew he wanted to deflect any more questions about the situation his family was in. That, more than anything else, gave away that it was a sore topic to Draco.

"Until he brought up that he talked to you again, and asked if I could set up a meeting, I hadn't thought we would see each other again." Draco admitted while he watched her and brought his glass to his lips. There was her answer for why Draco had met up with her. This was a totally different man from the one she had spend years with and with that thought came some surprising calmness.

"It was a one night stand." Hermione cringed at her own words. "It's not something I'm proud of, and I owe you an apology for it. I had - have - a hard time settling into my new life here. Some of the decisions I made the last months range from stupid to downright shameful. I should not have come onto you like that and I am sorry for it." Hermione bowed her head and swallowed the rest of what she wanted to say. How sorry she was for the way she had handled the situation. How insecure she felt about everything that had to do with him. How much she hated how alone he was here and even more to see how he closed himself off.

"That doesn't mean I don't care for Scorpius. I never told him what happened." Hermione added biting her lip.

"True, I am not the man you seek, but my son is good enough. Gryffindors and their bleeding hearts." His answer was cold and cut through Hermione like a knife.

"My Draco and our daughter are gone." Draco looked at her sharply, but the tears he expected to see were absent. Her eyes were locked into his and there was a sadness, but mostly acceptance in them he hadn't seen before. Something had happened, it occurred to him, but he wasn't one to ask openly, so he only nodded his agreement.

"Yes woman, they are."

"I am not sorry for caring for the only members that are left of my patchwork family. Even if they are not the same and don't see me as family."

"And that is were I do fit in, in this plan of yours, isn't it? The only person you can talk to about your 'son'."

He was sitting back and turned his glass around in his hand, watching the wine catch the light and throw it back in different shades.

Hermione felt her temper rise and had to bit her lip from saying what came to her mind first. The way he seemed uninterested always made her clench her teeth, but she knew better. It was nothing but an act, and she wouldn't play into his hands. Even if she denied the fact that her heart still beat faster for this version of him, and that she couldn't help herself to hope for at least friendship, he always had that way to make her talk before thinking.

"The rumours are bad Draco, and his situation at school - I don't like what I hear. I thought maybe you could do something."

"Granger, if my problem was that simple to come by, don't you think I would have solved it already?" His voice started to rise, but the waiter returned with their food, interrupting anything else Draco was about to say. Once the food sat in front of them and the waiter vanished again, leaving them alone, Hermione answered.

"I'm sorry Draco, I assumed you didn't know about Scorpius trouble. Of course he talks about it with you. I'll back off."

"That's one of your problems Granger, you assume stuff, instead of asking." He was more controlled now, but there was still an edge to him, that made Hermione keep her mouth shut. What could she say when he was right. She wanted to solve the situation, but couldn't. She wanted to help him, but he wouldn't let her, the way he reacted.


	65. The end of a dinner

Chapter 65 – The end of a dinner

The food was taken in silence, and Hermione thought about what Draco had told her, swallowing the bitter pill that she was wrong once again. Taking his advice she tried to make some light conversation by asking questions.

"You like your job? I read you own a company in the Daily Prophet."

"I work on improving the brooms with my team of developers. It's a task I enjoy."

"Yes, I heard about a new broom, it's all the students talk about since Christmas."

"You assume again Granger, that was my business competitions." Draco drawled and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

"I - I'm sorry." Hermione stammered and wanted to hide her face that grew red. "The only apology I can offer is that I don't talk a lot these days."

If it was possible to melt into the ground in mortification, Hermione was sure she would. She felt a lot like her mind was numb. Unable to form intelligent sentences, messing up the whole conversation. Curiosity made her continue on anyway. What else was there to do, but surge forward.

"So what is your latest invention?"

"We invented some Quidditch gloves made from dragon leather. It's robust, but hard to handle because of the hardness of the leather. So we had to look into different ways of manufacturing. It took some time, but they are perfect for Keepers and Beater, reduced the injury risks a lot."

"Interesting." Hermione said, even thought she had little idea about Quidditch. She liked to say she disliked it mostly because it was such a risky sport. Just a small part had to do with her acrophobia and the knowledge that she wasn't able to handle a broom, or so she told herself.

For years the thought of something as simple as Quidditch hadn't even crossed her mind, but now she remembered the shouting crowds, the feeling she had when Harry and Draco went into a fervid race to the snitch and happiness she got swept into by the crowd cheering.

"What is your next invention? With all that talk about the new broom you have something up your sleeve yourself, haven't you?

"We are working on it." Draco grinded his teeth, but his face stayed emotionless. Hadn't she seen the subtle working of his jaw it would have evaded her how much pressure he felt.

"You should include runes. A good wood would make it possible, combined with enchantments."

"Runes? I saw you like to use them. Your work is impressive. Anyway, I would need to look into it. Most likely they would be needed to be done by hand, on every single broom. The price would be to high."

Hermione thought about it for a second before she continued, voicing her thought.

"Why not make it an exclusive brand, only available on order? I think it would work."

Draco laughed at her insistence. "Just as bossy as ever if an idea struck you, right Granger?" He asked her and toasted his glass in her direction, before taking a sip.

Hermione glared at him just out of reflex, because she hated to be laughed about, but seeing his carefree smiling face the first time this evening, she had to hid her own smile behind her glass of water.

Draco stayed silent afterwards and she could see him pondering the idea while he finished his wine. They sat like that for some time, until the waiter joined them again and she denied a coffee. Draco ordered the bill and dared her to say anything when he paid for them both. It was just a fleeting glance, but Hermione understood and waited until he was done.

When he helped her into her jacket she regarded him over her shoulder and once again admired his posture.

"Thank you for dinner Draco. I enjoyed myself. Maybe we can repeat this?"

Hermione left the restaurant in front of Draco, but once outside she turned around and hugged him to say good bye. She was instantly teleported to the past by his familiar scent, a scent of days long gone, of old memories and images still worth preserving forever in her mind. She could picture him taking Scorpius from her arms, hours spent in bed and discussions that ended in heated arguing. For once she was trapped in her mind by happy memories, and she fought hard to keep the bitter ones that were linked to him in the back of her mind. She didn't want to remember his wounds, his empty eyes or the image that haunted her after Severus told her Draco had gotten the Kiss.

At this moment she slet her heart hurt for the husband and the daughter she lost. The lose washed over her like a wave of sorrow, but she blinked the tears away, and took a few moments to get her act together. She didn't want him so see how emotional this evening had made her.

Draco looked down at the top of her frizzy head and made a face. His feelings were a mix of bewilderment, reticence, along with a pinch of nervousness. With a tight frown marring his features, he had half a mind to ask her what the fuck she thought she was doing, but then she squeezed.

Draco took a deep breath, as his discomfort rose, while he was at the mercy of her hug.

He was tense and noticed himself cringe in extreme anxiety, but didn't dare to move a muscle, because deep down, it felt nice to be close to her. He wanted to know her motive, but asking was out of the picture. So he waited for her next move and hid his emotions behind a mask.

When her arms dropped to her side, he took a step back and she was able to see his trademark smirk in his face.

"Just for my son, Granger." He drawled and turned around to get away from the situation as fast as possible. His long dark silver trench coat was visible in the dark until he left for a dark alley. Hermione knew by the remote crack that he had apparated away, leaving her alone in muggle London, with memories swirling in her mind. As she analysed their evening, she notice that she had not once felt her panic well up. He was different from her husband, in more than just one way, but he had made her feel save.

Left alone Hermione laughed, it was freeing, and somewhat crazy, but she had to let the feeling out. Maybe, she thought, maybe he would open up and allow them to be friends, but it would be fine either way.


	66. Sneaking in

**Chapter 66 – Sneaking in**

 _Draco leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Instinctively she arched into him, and pushed her own lips back against his. Her hands clutched his black robe and she felt like his touch could burn her. When his fingers found the drumming pulse at her neck, the fire spread even more, as his hands brushed against her bare skin._

 _She felt a need build inside her for more, as he made her blood boil. Staring at each other with wide eyes they both gasped for air._

 _His hand slid from her neck to her waist, holding her closer, as his hips pressed her against the wall. He pressed small kisses along her neck and shoulder, while his breath come in ragged pants. She hitched a leg up along his waist, hooking her calf around him as he cupped her ass, pulling her even closer. A low whimper left her mouth at the contact when she felt him harden against her._

 _His finger dug into her hips to keep her upright and she knew there would be a visible bruise tomorrow, but couldn't bring herself to care. It felt right to hold onto him and she wanted to get lost in this feeling._

When Hermione woke up she had tears in her eyes. While she had relived the memory in her dreams the feeling of loss had retreated, but now that she had awoken she felt alone.

She bit her lip and tried to keep herself from sobbing, but it didn't help. Her hands clenched and tears continued to stream down her face.

She wanted to reach out for her wand, to lighten up the dark room, but couldn't. The memory reminded her that it would never happen again. The man she had known and loved was gone and their closeness vanished with him. As rare as these intimate moments had been, she had had someone to turn to.

She looked around the lovely room the Headmistress had set up for her, and felt a longing for more. For something that was her own. The room came furnished and well equipped, but she felt like a guest, not just in this room, but in this life too. She didn't want to leave the safe heaven Hogwarts provided her with just yet and face the world, but she would need to soon.

Small steps, Hermione reminded herself, one after another.

A moment later she noticed something was wrong. Just a small sound outside her room, but it was enough to get Hermione moving.

XxX

"So I was right, something was off."

The light was on and a wand was pointed towards the two intruders.

"Care to explain what you are doing in my rooms? In the middle of the night?"

Hermione wasn't sleeping in her bed like they had planed. Albus sent a death glare towards Scorpius, but he just shrugged his shoulders. In his opinion the glaring woman with the wand was much scarier than his best friend.

The sleeping draught had been placed in the glass next to her bed, but she hadn't drunken anything from it. It had been a calculated risk in his plan, but obviously not in Albus'.

"Sorry Aunt Hermione. This was kind off on a dare. We had a bet running whether you would spend the night with his dad or not. I won by the way." Albus pointed at Scorpius and had a grin on his face. "Told you so!"

It took Scorpius a second to catch on, but he smiled too. It was false and he felt his skin prickle, but he didn't dare to go against Albus reasoning. Deep down he had known from the beginning that Albus wouldn't tell the truth and ask an adult for help. It hurt to be deceived, but maybe his friend had a backup plan.

"Albus Potter!" His aunt was glaring at him, but Albus tried to stay confident. She couldn't know the real reason they were here.

"Your aunt might have bought this act, but I was married to a Slytherin for several years."

"Sorry Miss Granger, this is really on me. I hoped that you and my dad would get along. I saw how much you missed him and set this all up. We should not have invaded you privacy like this, but Albus said we wouldn't know who won if we didn't check."

Her eyes got softer, but her tone didn't change. She breathed deeply and stemmed her temper a bit before she talked.

"I'm disappointed. In both of you."

Nothing else was said for several minutes and they both hung their head. They had messed up and now it would be even harder to get to the time turner than ever before. Scorpius could also see that she still didn't buy their act. His heart clenched when he saw something glister in her eyes.

"I know you both have enough trouble with your fathers, so this once I will overlook it. This once!"

Hermione walked them out of the room and tried not to care if they were caught sneaking around after curfew. She bit her lip and clenched her hand when she watched them vanish into the dark.

Turning around she reset her wards and her password with a heavy heart.

Something was going on here, and it had nothing to do with a bet.

When Albus and Scorpius finally reached the safety of their dorm, Scorpius was not just hurt, but angry too.

"I will not help you keep up this stupid charade any longer." He cursed and glared at Albus. They had made Miss Granger cry, he was sure of it. What else could have made her eye glister. She had been nothing but nice to him and he had wanted to ask her help, he had even asked Albus to use this chance to do so should she be up, but now she would keep a closer watch on them.

He didn't give his roommate a chance to answer and vanished to his bed. Albus was good at hiding his emotions, but after so many years Scorpius had seen the defiance in his eyes anyway. He hadn't wanted to hear what a bad Slytherin he was from yet another person, just because he was able to ask for help openly.


	67. Breakfast

**Chapter 67 – Breakfast the morning after**

The next morning, Scorpius felt torn between sitting down alone to bear his grudge and make Albus understand that it had been important to him, which meant he would be getting even more strange looks from his housemates,and his longing to talk to his best friend and find out what had driven him to abuse Scorpius' trust like that.

Scorpius fiddled with his tie and looked around for another place to sit, should he decide to spend his breakfast alone. The hall was still mostly empty because he and Albus liked to be up way earlier than their housemates. It was a way to avoid running into trouble early in the morning: the downside when even your own house didn't like you.

He was still hesitant when the owls came in and he saw Albus' face darken. A large black raven dropped a letter on the empty plate in front of Albus, and Scorpius hurried over to know what the blue-white monster had to say. There was only one person they knew that used ravens instead of owls. It made him forget his hurt for a moment and when he remembered that he was mad his ass was already on the seat next to Albus.

The boys looked at each other and his friend smiled when he noticed him. He wiggled his eyebrows and showed the short letter to Scorpius.

"Good we used that excuse or we would have been dead meat by now." The joke fell flat, and they both grimaced. Delphi had been rather blunt in her threat this time, if you knew what you were looking at. She wrote about their nightly meeting, as if they were useless tools that couldn't even get the easiest tasks done. What made Scorpius gulp was the way she added small details, that let them know that they were watched, no matter where they were. For an outsider, it might have looked like a normal letter, but both of the boys understood what she told them between the lines.

"How did she do that?" Scorpius fretted and looked around in paranoia. "There was no one but us and Miss Granger. Hogwarts should be protected from invading magic to spy on others!" It was just a whisper, as if that could keep Delphi from hearing what they were talking about.

"I'll need a spyglass!"

"Yes. I can totally see that working out for you." Albus drawled and rolled his eyes. "Every time we pass a Gryffindor or enter our Common Room the device will alter you and you will jump out of your skin in fright. If it ever stopped giving up an alarm in between these moments."

Scorpius glared at the black haired boy next to him. He made him sound like a pussy, but he knew Albus was just as scared even if he hid it behind an awful attitude. Albus' hands were clenched and he looked around to watch the different people close to them. His brows were furrowed and his jokes even worse than normal, in his attempt to lighten the mood. Scorpius knew Albus didn't say the words to hurt him, but for the last few weeks he wished his friend was just a little more thoughtful sometimes. It was in those moments that he thought it would be great if Rose's new love were his biggest trouble beside school stuff.

"Who knows, maybe she even uses her raven to spy on us? Doesn't need to be a human after all." Scorpius told Albus, who narrowed his eyes and watched the raven that still sat at their table. The bird inclined it's head and starred back at the boy. Neither blinked and Albus gritted his teeth before looking back at Scorpius.

"That thought is creepy. I once heard a story from Aunt Hermione about a bug spying on them in their 4th year. She had caught it in an unbreakable jar. Turned out the reporter was an unregistered animagus and she had blackmailed the woman into doing her job the way my aunt wanted it to be done."

"Your Aunt is scary." Scorpius announced, but had to admit that he had known for quite some time. "But the bird is too big to be caught in a jar. Something that big would attract unwanted attention."

"With our luck someone will tell Professor Dunkel and we will have detention with Hagrid until the year is over for imprisoning a pet." They both shuddered when they thought about their Head of House. Scorpius' thoughts went back to the woman that gave him the idea.

"Think she really will keep quiet about our nightly visit? Suddenly I don't feel so confident about setting her up with my father."

"I don't care." Albus shrugged. "She will always be my aunt, even after her divorce. She is kind of strange and even more scary since she, let's say, lost her memories, but she would never go against her word. If your dad hooks up with her, we are family and can see each other over the holiday without my dad complaining. Win-win to me. Anyway, we need a new plan to get the time-turner back from her."

Scorpius looked at his friend in horror and let his head fall onto the table. Albus would never give up this stupid idea and now wasn't the time to remind him that Scorpius hadn't said he would help no longer out of bitterness. He had enough and it was time to end this mess, before either of them ended up hurt, or worse, dead. Scorpius wanted his old problems back, and deep down, his mother. A hug from her had always made him forget about his worries, but with her death she had left him to deal with it all alone.

In the back of his mind he started to assemble his own plan, while they dropped the subject because more students were arriving for breakfast.

Scorpius would get Miss Hermione to help them, he just had to make sure Delphi watched Albus and not him. Maybe a spyglass wasn't the stupid plan Albus had made it out to be.


	68. So close Harry, so close

**Chapter 68 – So close Harry, so close**

"Hermione and me. We... We had problems."

It wasn't news to Harry what his best friend had just told him, but it was the first time Ron ever talked openly about it. Mostly the topic had been deflected by both Ron and Hermione, which made everyone believe it wasn't as bad as their temper let on.

"It started when Rose went to Hogwarts. Suddenly I wasn't needed as much anymore. Hugo was way more independent. Where Rose thrived for attention, he'd rather sit in a chair and read. It was around that year I noticed that Hermione and me had drifted apart. Her work consumed most of her time and she loved it. Maybe more than her family, but for sure more than me. Rose had given us a stability I hadn't known of. Her constant cheerful nature had kept me busy and Hermione smiling. Without her to make us laugh we fought a lot. Hugo grew even more withdrawn and I think he was more than happy to flee to Hogwarts for his first year."

Ron shook his head and couldn't keep his hands still. He played around with his wand without really noticing it, while his whole body was rigid with tension.

"I was always insecure, you know that Harry. Hermione could have taken someone more like herself to make her happy. Someone intelligent and noble. George would have never needed me in the store if Fred was still here. But the kids, they needed me. No one but me was their dad. It's what gave me safety."

Harry nodded in understanding. Ron was a good father, way better than Harry thought himself to be. He watched his friend's affiliation towards his children with envy sometimes.

James never asked for help, he just got up and did it. Albus was the silent type, he sat down and plotted until he had the answer. And sweet Lily never came to Harry for help, she was a mommy's child in every way. Harry knew he was a lot like Hermione in that regard, they trusted their partners to take care of home and children, while they were off to work, doing what they loved. Maybe they both neglected their families a bit too much because of that.

Ron sat back in the armchair and looked at the ceiling while he continued.

"We talked about it not too long ago. Hermione and me. How to make this work. There is a witch, muggleborn like Hermione, that has a marriage consulting agency. It's something that married muggles do when they struggle and we went there a few times. It helps to talk, when there is someone who doesn't judge you, and helps to understand each other. We were growing closer for the first time in years and I was hoping for a happy and cheerful Christmas this year."

Another short break spread out, but Harry kept quiet. Sometimes it helped to give others a moment to gather his thoughts. A tactic he used a lot as Auror. He liked to think he had gotten better at listening to others through his job, but this situation made him uneasy. Had he really overlooked something so major going on in his friends marriage?

"It's what makes all this even worse. Make Hermione's words hurt so much more. And I can't even defend myself. I am thinking about myself when I miss her. I think about the kids that had to spend Christmas without both their parents, because I handled the whole situation badly. When I think about her with Malfoy I feel betrayed, not because I think he would ever take her, but because she's always smiling when I think about them together. I saw the way she ran into his arms. The happiness on her face when she saw him is burnt into my memory."

This time Ron stopped for good and looked straight at Harry for the first time since he started talking.

Harry didn't know what to say. He had known they had problems, but he just thought it was the typical stuff every married couple faced. A few bad chosen words, an argument, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Thinking back he remembered Rose's words when she had entered the Headmistress office back in September. 'So you're finally getting divorced?'

Even the kids had known, while Harry remained blissfully ignorant.

"I'm sorry Ron. I was so caught up in my own problems I never noticed."

Ron gave a snort and shook his head. His blue eyes were cool, but he finally looked calm.

"It's fine mate, your middle one is not easy to handle, compared to Rose and Hugo. I still can't believe he would do something like that. But Hermione, the new one, reminded me of something. You can't change the past without consequences. So I can't have my wife back, no matter how bad it hurts, and you can't change what he did."

Harry sighed in defeat. He had heard that from so many different people since September, but he couldn't help his feelings. He felt like he had failed his son and as a result, Hermione and Ron too. His friends were the ones with a shattered family, because he had looked away when his son drifted towards the Slytherins. He should have shown Albus that he was better than that.

"Yes, I'll need to watch out for him better from now on." It was a promise to Ron, but also to himself. He would find out the bad influence his son was under and stop it. He still wasn't sure if the Malfoy boy wasn't behind all of this.

"Yes, but I'm worried. No matter what she thinks of me now. She's so wrapped up in her misery." Ron interrupted Harry's train of thoughts by voicing his own concerns.

"She wouldn't do anything stupid Ron, it's still Hermione." Harry was quite sure after their last meet up she was on her way of healing. She had laughed again and shared a joke with Ginny, which had lessened his worries. He knew she now exchanged letters with his wife and Ginny always smiled when she got an owl from Hermione.

"Anything stupid? Like fall in love with Malfoy? Or wanting her daughter back?" Ron's tone was bitter and anxious.

"She knows what she does. But talking about her daughter..." Harry frowned. It was something that caused him headaches too.

"Where did the time turner end up again?" Ron suddenly asked and watched the worried expression on Harry's face. Harry tried to remember what happened the day they had been called to Hogwarts. When they found Hermione, Albus and Scorpius she had lectured them and held the time turner in her hand. He hadn't seen it since, but Hermione had talked about it once. Back when she told him how dangerous the device was in the wrong hands. It made Harry deny Ron's way of thinking.

"She never would Ron, never! Not after the way she ranted at Albus and Scorpius for what they did."

"If you say so Harry. Your words in Merlin's ears." Ron looked calculating now, as if he tried to figure out what step to take next and they both let their thoughts run free.

After a short break Harry carried on about something entirely different, that had to do with the same topic.

"I talked to Theodor Nott this week."

Ron frowned before he remarked, "Isn't he in Azkaban because of all the stuff we found during our raid of Nott Manor?"

Harry nodded, Ron was right after all. He had to fill out a permission paper to visit the prisoner. His listed reasons were only half true, but close enough to get him an hour with Nott in a silenced room with strong privacy spells he had set up himself.

"Yes, but he only got half a year so he'll be out soon. The time turner that started this whole mess was his invention. I hoped for more information."

"And that asshole dared to keep silent?" Ron's outburst did not come by surprise, and Harry shook his head sadly.

"He invented it, but never dared to use it before we found it. He was intrigued it had really worked. To go back twenty years without problems had him astonished and he wouldn't stop asking question. He went as far as promising me he would be in my office right away, once we was out of Azkaban in a few days."

Ron's face twisted in sympathy and he clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Can this get any worse?"

Harry laughed and tried to joke.

"How about an evil mastermind like Voldemort pulling the strings behind the scenes without us knowing? Maybe he's still alive or got a protégé that finally came into his own."

"Hermione would be furious that you think it's a male again." Harry looked startled, but laughed again.

"Yes, she would be."

* * *

 **AN: My last post before Christmas, so I want to wish everyone reading this a Merry Christmas and hope to hear from you in the reviews.**

 **Spend some lovely time with the people dear to you and enjoy being who you are!**

 **Take care**

 **Angelamore**


	69. An idea

**Chapter 69 – An idea**

"I want you to look into this idea Kingston." Draco threw a folder at his employees' table and walked into his office, knowing Mr. Kingston would follow him.

It was on the top floor of a muggle building in the City of London. The Square Mile could been seen from up there, in addition to the Gherkin and the Bank of England. As it was placed under a spell, muggles couldn't see the whole floor, and would never find out that their elevator could transport a wizard or witch to a hidden level.

The main problem was that the elevator had to be empty to use magic inside to reveal the hidden button. In a busy business building that was nearly impossible, and Draco hated to use the elevator. It had been a pain to get a floo installed, but worth the money. Some days he had had to confuse the muggles to leave him the heck alone in his elevator, just to get to work.

It was something that attracted the attention of the Ministry of Magic, as it happened so often, and they feared for the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. The cameras in the elevator didn't help either, as they had to be deleted daily, not to rise suspicion. They might not be able to capture the magic itself, but to see different people wave about with a stick and press the buttons off target did raise questions.

Draco looked out of his window to see the people down below scurry like ants. He waited until he heard his employee enter the room, before he spoke.

"I need a market analysis whenever there is something like this around. If there isn't, I need a statement of costs and personnel expenditure. I need it fast and accurate."

He dropped into his chair elegantly and glared at Kingston. There was a lot at stake here.

"If I might say so Sir, this idea is brilliant. This could be just what we need. Thank you, Sir!" The tall black man was already on his way out the door, his eyes still fixed on what he was reading. They were practically gleaming with happiness about this development.

"It was her idea, not mine." Draco said so low that it wasn't understandable.

"Yes, Sir?" Kingston asked and turned back around.

"Nothing Kingston, just hurry. And add profit participation to the matter of expenses."

"Right off, Sir!"

Draco leaned back and closed his eyes.

Wine had a way to make him brutally honest with himself. He had drunk nearly two bottles of muggle wine last night, that was by far not as potent as the elven made one, and he had to admit he had felt it. His tolerance for alcohol wasn't as high as he had thought.

There was also this bizarre relationship he had with Granger now. Not old school rivals anymore, but not yet friends, or anything else. A one night stand, which he lacked clarity about, but couldn't stop remembering now. She had felt fragile in his hands, so thin and small, while she had showed him exactly what she wanted. Seeing her last night had brought up the memories again, some of which he hadn't recalled until then. It was small things, like her hands caressing him. Her voice when she was asking him if he was alright. The way he had lost himself in the sex, after so many years without intimate contact.

He was torn between feeling used by her, and knowing it had been a night benefiting them both. He finally felt like he was allowed to move on from his wife's death in a twisted kind of way. There were possibilities out there, all he had to do was reach out. Even his own son had connoted for him to start dating again.

It didn't have to be with Granger, but a voice in the back of his head agreed with his son. She was something else. He wanted to be around her, wanted to figure her out.

At the same time he shieded away from the trouble he knew she could cause in his life. She wasn't just a temperamental woman with some kids his own age. She was a misplaced soul with a intimidating past, emotional baggage, and a distinction from which she tried to hide.

She had offered they could try to be friends, and gave him an idea of how to alter course to make Ilmatar Enterprise profitable again, until he had another idea. Talking to her made him remember that he wanted to present something special to his costumers, not products for the mass market like his competitors.

"Kingston!" Draco called his most trusted employee back. "While you are at it, check the market for this kind of product throughout Europe."

Yes, he had an idea, thanks to Hermione Granger, and he prayed to Salazar that it would work out.

XxX

Lily Potter was a Gryffindor. That much was true and she kept repeating it in her head over and over again as she went to stand next to her middle brother and his best friend in the Great Hall. She had watched Rose and Scorpius interact since she had joined them at Hogwarts last year.

Until recently she had been sure Rose's cold behaviour was a farce, so she hadn't intervened, scared the older girl would get hurt. But since the accident involving Rose and Hugo's mom she was downright nasty towards her admirer. Maybe Scorpius was a bit gawky at courting her, sometimes even stupid, but he had a good heart at the right place.

For now Lily Potter had had enough. Over several nights she had decided to take her chances of asking the boy out herself. She had a crush on him since her first time seeing him on Platform 9 ¾ four years earlier. Whenever Albus talked about him at home she had listened enraptured. Shy as she was, back then she hadn't talked to him the first time they stood in front of each other, but had hidden behind James to admire Scorpius from afar. It had settled, but still she was nervous to approach him.

"Hey boys!", she offered a smile and tried to look casual. Courage could be gathered in an instance, but it could also dissipate quickly, Rose admitted to herself, when both boys looked at her strangely.

"What are you up to little sis?" Albus raised his eyebrow and watched her warily. He had wanted to talk about something with his buddy when Lily had interrupted them.

"It's Hogsmeade day this weekend." The eyebrow climbed even higher in Albus' face and he snorted. "Did mom or dad set you up on this to spy on us, so we don't do any more stupid stuff."

When he said stupid he sneered at his sister and it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"No thanks, I don't want to be the snitch in this family. While I think you could try to stay out of trouble and act a little bit more mature, I love you too much to do that. Also, it would rob me of all my free time."

Scorpius laughed and tried to hid it behind his hand when he saw Albus glare at him. Lily's face lit up when she noticed it and Albus groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. Really Lily, really?!"

His sister fluttered her eyelashes and asked, "What dear brother of mine, what?"

Albus only shook his head and turned around without another word.

"Waitttt!" Scorpius called after him and started to follow. Then he turned around towards Lily and smiled apologetically. "Sorry Lily."

She smiled at him and mustered all her courage.

"You can make it up to me at Hogsmeade. How about a butterbeer?"

"Sure, I'll tell – "

"No." She called out and blushed when Scorpius' eyes grew wide. "Just us. You, umhh, just think about it, ok?"

This time it was Lily who turned around and nearly ran towards the stairs upwards. How embarrassing, she thought and hid her red face behind her hands when she finally made it out of Scorpius range of vision. Now she wouldn't know his answer until the weekend, and would have to ask him a second time because she hadn't waited.

* * *

 **Happy New Year and don't plan to many New Year's resolutions.**


	70. A mutual Agreement to court each other

**Chapter 70 – A mutual agreement to court each other**

"Alb!", Scorpius called out when he finally caught up with his friend in front of their Common Rooms entrance. The bare stretch of wall, where the passage was hidden, was already opening.

"Your sister – " He panted while they stepped through the opening. He had to run, to find his friend again, because he had stood in the hall confused for to long. His condition was bad and running from the Great Hall to the deepest part of the dungeon had made him sweaty and left him winded. Albus didn't stop to sit down in one of the low backed sofas, but carried on, while Scorpius trailed behind. They didn't talk while the other Slytherins could listen in.

"Yes, that was my sister you just met. Reddish hair, green eye, cocky as hell and our family's little baby."

Albus made his way up the stairs to their dorm and snickered when Scorpius was at a lose for words. Or maybe he was just out of breath.

"I dunno, Alb. I think she asked me out!"

"Oh I'm sure she finally did." There was no surprise in his tone, just bored affirmation.

"She was earlier than I would have thought. A little precocious that one, but a true Gryffindor, just like my whole perfect family. So, tell me, what do you think of my little sis?"

They entered their dorm, but were the first to come up here. The others of their year liked to spend their time in the Common Room where it was warmer, if any place down here could be called anything but icy anyway.

"I mean, it's your sister. She's cute, you know, like little sisters should be. I never thought of her any other way. That would be inappropriate!"

Albus smiled to himself at Scorpius reaction. His friend looked like he was scandalised that there could be more than just one answer.

"You don't look at your mates sister in any other way!" Scorpius felt like he had to explain himself. Her invitation had obvious caught him off guard.

"But at your mates cousin? That's alright?"

Albus made his way over to his bed and raised his eyebrow, while he dropped his jacket on the chair next to the bed.

"Now wait a moment. When I meet her you weren't my mate yet."

Scorpius defended himself fiercely and loosened his tie. He didn't just pull it over his head, but opened the knot neatly and folded the tie up to place it on his own chair.

"Just keep telling yourself that. Back to my sis. Taking her up on that offer?"

"I can't, can I? She's your sister! I would feel bad!"

"So you want to hurt her feelings by dismissing her without giving it a thought?"

Albus glared at his friend, but Scorpius already looked ready to panic. Maybe he took it to far?

"I – " Scorpius thought about it for a moment. "I think she's sweet. But she's so young. I don't want to go against some sort of codex here."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Then take her out and let her down gently when you see nothing but my sister in her. Nobody told you to kiss and bang her."

Scorpius blushed and gaped at his friend.

"I would never!" He shouted, but Albus was laughing now, because his friends face was the epitome of horror. Understanding that his friend had only made fun of him from the beginning Scorpius was cross with him.

"Are we done with this Hufflepuff moment now?"

Albus asked, leaned back on his bed and looked over at Scorpius, who drew the curtains of his own bed close.

"Common Scorp, no need to be in the sulks."

He got no answer from his friend and signed. Maybe the Hufflepuff comment had been to much, he knew how much Scorpius disliked any comments about the Head sorting him wrong. It was a raw point he tended to forget, because he thought Scorpius should know better than be hurt by a playful comment.

Sadly, it was also a way the rest of their house loved to make fun of Scorpius, because he was utter rubbish at hiding his weak spot.

"For what it's worth, I really think my sister was sincere Scorp and I trust you." Now he sounded like a Puff himself, Albus thought, and let his head fall back, while he closed his eyes.

XxX

Harry was sitting in his office at work a few days later, staring at the map in front of him. He hadn't told his wife anything about it, because he knew he would have to face her wrath. She wouldn't understand why he had made a linked copy of his sons present to watch over him.

He was so afraid for his son, that it had appeared to be a good idea. Looking at it now he knew his son was safe and sound, sitting in a classroom, hopefully without a worry in the world. Harry could still remember how hard it was to be disliked by his schoolmates and it was the last thing he had wanted for any of his children, but Albus was stubborn and never listened to advices.

Harry was still sure, that it would help to keep Malfoy Jr. away from his son, but with the state Hermione was in he hadn't dared. His friend was rather protective of that boy and at latest since Christmas he knew not to speak up without having a huge argument at his hands.

As is his thought had summoned him, Draco Malfoy walked into his office, interrupting his mussing with his arrogant swagger.

"Potter." He acknowledged Harry with a nod and Harry had to blink a few times. The long hair of his old nemesis was gone, just like the cane he had always carried around. Instead the man wore emerald green dress robes, spotted well cut quiet short hair and designer stubble that made him look less like Lucius Malfoy and more like a rebellious version of a Malfoy.

Putting away his espionage tool to hide it, Harry stood up to close to door behind Draco.

"I would say it's nice to see you, but it never is, so lets get straight to the point Malfoy."

"Potter, I understand your dislike for myself, but I don't want my son to continue growing up like this. I was a child that ended up on the wrong side because of my fathers believes. I did what I had to do to keep my family safe back then and I'll do it now again. So get your head out of your ass for once in a while and help me. It's not just my son that's entangled in this web of lies. For Merlin's sake, the boy even asked for a spyglass."

Draco was more than crossed with Harry since he had found out just how bad it had gotten at school for their sons. He would have understood that Harry didn't want to help Scorpius if their son weren't best friends, but they happened to be. The latest letter had been the last that broke the camel's back.

"I know Malfoy, trust me, I know. My son made sure to let me know what a poor excuse of a father I am on Christmas. I had hoped it would get better over time, like the rumours back when we were at school. The sad thing is, I don't think the rumours are our only problem. I don't truly believe that it was their idea to change time, or do you?"

It was the first time Harry said it out loud. He hadn't even voiced his concern towards Ginny or Hermione yet. Further it was the reason for the copy of his sons Hogwarts map in front of him. At first he had thought about asking James for the original, but since his son denied to this day to have taken it, it was futile.

Taken by surprise by the sudden change in topic Draco clenched his hands. He knew Potter would try to avoid helping him, but he wouldn't leave this room until he got what he wanted. Still, he had a point.

"I don't know what goes through your son's head, but I know it wasn't Scorpius' idea for sure. Even Granger is concerned."

Yes, Draco was rather sure that Granger would tip the scale in his favour. Harry kept calm and sat back down in his seat, offering the one in front of his desk to Draco, who elegantly sat down, crossed his legs and leaned back, mirroring Harry.

"Hermione? What's that got to do with her?"

"Let me think. Maybe it stranded her in the wrong world, or –" Draco drew out the word "- it got something to do with her losing her daughter? Either way she is concerned about Scorpius. I'm sure you don't want to upset her any more than she already is Potter."

Harry grinded his teeth, but kept silent while he glared at Malfoy. Sometimes he hated that pompous ass even more than normal, but he was right. Something was going on here they knew nothing about and the end of his conversation with Ron earlier that week flashed in his mind.

"Back in October Hermione told me something about a girlfriend. Did Scorpius tell you anything about that?"

Maybe it was really a girl behind this. Harry knew he used every measure possible to impress Cho back in his fifth year.

"The only girl I know about is your daughter. She's a feisty one, isn't she?"

Draco watched Harry lose his cool in the matter of seconds.

"What does my daughter got to do with this?" Harry nearly shouted and jumped up, towering over Draco.

"Oh, I thought you knew. Maybe Mrs. Potter is better informed then. Your daughter proposed a mutual agreement to court each other to my son." Draco let Harry know and didn't change his lazy position on the seat, while his old rival gasped at him. Harry dropped back into his chair and looked at the ceiling for a moment.

"That's somehow scary to think about. Lily is a lot like Ginny, once she has her eyes set on something she doesn't let go easily. I noticed her watching Albus and Scorpius, but I thought it was because she was envious, because between my kids Albus and Lily always had strange but close relationship."

"I think it's very much in your own interest to make sure we get ride of our sons poor reputation and the false rumours."

Now Draco got up and closed the button of his robe, while he nodded at Harry.

"I'll find out what I can about any girls in Albus life and let you know Potter."

Draco left the office with large steps and closed the door silently behind himself. It left Harry with his own thoughts. He dropped his head into his hands and ruffled his hair. What had happened that even Lily, their little peacemaker, saw something good in the young Malfoy, when all he saw himself was a bad influence.

* * *

 **AN: I was in Austria, left my tablet at home and had to much fun to care, so this Chapter is a day late. I hope the new Year started as great for all of you as it did for me. Also: Unbetaed because I also send it to late to my poor beta ;)**


	71. Angry, or emotional and sad

**Chapter 71 – Angry, or emotional and sad**

"Oh Hermione!" Molly Weasley shouted and threw her arms around her daughter in law.

Hermione didn't know how to react to the gushy welcome, it wasn't what she had anticipated for sure, so she stiffened. The hug nearly crushed her, but it felt warm and made her shudder. She bit her lower lip and kept her feelings close to herself, while she awkward patted Molly's back. Taking a step back, Molly still held Hermione by her shoulders, and looked at her.

"How have you been holding up dear? I was so worried about you, and no one answered my questions until Ginny came over last week to explain everything and ask if I would meet with you. I'm so sorry"

Dragging her to sit down, Molly set a cup of tea in front of the brown-haired witch with a flick of her wand.

"How do you feel? You know you don't need to hold back with me!"

Hermione looked at Molly and smiled sadly. Molly had been her motherly figure in the wizarding world and different emotions fought inside her. The anxiety that this was all not real, the jar how old Molly looked, the gladness that she was welcome and the yearning that she could be sincere without being judged, now that Molly knew what was going on. She would have to thank Ginny for that later.

"Some days are easier than others. I don't know how I hold myself together on the bad ones, but I know I have to carry on."

Mrs. Weasley nodded in understanding and it felt like something heavy was lifted from Hermione by it. "When Fred died, I was devastated. It just felt like something was missing and all happiness over our triumph against Voldemort was sucked right out of me."

Neither looked at the other while they watched the tea reflect the light in their cups. Hermione was the first to speak again, understanding just to well the feeling Mrs. Weasley described.

"Some days I wake up and want to look after her, but then I remember she isn't here, never was. Her existence was vanished from this world and I feel like I'm crazy, believing she was real."

Hermione's hands were shaking and she couldn't make them stop enough to take a sip from her cup of tea.

Letting go of her own, Molly sat beside Hermione and motherly rubbed her back. She didn't need to ask who they were talking about, after hearing the whole sad story from Ginny. Molly had wanted to tear down Hogwarts until she found her adopted daughter after her youngest child had finished her tale. Many unbelievable things happened in the magical world, but hearing it from Ginny, it explained so many things of the last few months. It brought back old memories for Molly, times when she had mourned her own son, but she wanted to be there for Hermione. To wait days until they were supposed to meet felt like forever. Still, Molly understood that Hermione wanted to give her time to settle her thoughts. The poor girl thought she was angry, which was the obvious conclusion after all her letters. She had reacted harshly without knowing all the facts.

Hermione didn't react to Molly's proximity and tried to voice what was going through her head. Madame Pomfrey suggested she should talk to different people and Hermione noticed that it was sometimes hard to stop once she got over herself to start. It was freeing and the reactions were so much more positive than she had ever hoped for.

"I felt like everyone I touched, everyone I cared about, always ended up dying. So, I refused to care about anything. Not even myself. I hated myself, but I'm know even that woun't change what happened. Madame Pomfrey helped me a lot to come to terms with myself."

"If you ever need me, if there is anything I can do -" Molly left the sentence unfinished, but they both knew what she meant.

"Talking helps. It makes it all more real and I can gather my thoughts better if I voice them. Thank you for meeting with me. I know you are mad that I divorced Ron."

"Hermione." Molly said and looked her right in the eyes. "I was never really angry. I was emotional, sad and lost. I hate to be left hanging without explanations, when I see my family falling apart and hurt, I lashed out at you and Ron. It wasn't mature or the right thing to do and I'm sorry I did it."

"I never wanted to hurt your family – " Hermione tried to explain herself, but couldn't rational her behaviour. There was no 'but' or explanation here, but Molly interrupted her before she could say how sorry she was.

"Our family Hermione, you are part of it too. And while it is not ok, I understand. Grief can do things to us, and make us act awry."

It nearly brought tears to Hermione's eyes. They both knew the older woman did have to be so understanding. If she had shouted and raged Hermione would have understood it quiet well as a mother, too.

"I want to fix what I did, but I can't face Ron again yet. Please understand. It's hard enough meeting with you, but Ron – "

Hermione trailed off and her gaze was hooded. She could see and smell the blood when she thought of Ron and it made her shudder mentally and physical.

Essential the Ron of this world was as much of a stranger to her as anyone else, but he made her remember some of her worst memories, while others weren't as bad. She remembered Molly's dead body, but the memory was old and worn out around the edges. It was accompanied by the crazy laugh of Bellatrix Lastrange, but even that was just a background noise now.

Molly looked different now, the grey hair and wrinkles more pronounced and it set her apart from the memory, enough so Hermione didn't get lost in them.

"I promise I'll try."

Molly smiled and stood up to walk over the her storage.

"That's all I could ask for, for now. What do you want to eat dearie?" The change of subject wasn't subtle, but very much welcome.

"Anything you have will be wonderful."

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry I'm a week late, but we had problems uploading docx here on ff and so I'm still missing ch 70, and now 71, in the betaed version. Poor Eva always gets an error. On the positiv side I finally could upload the chapter today and so here you are.**

 **To put it mildly I dislike this Chapter, I simply can't get across what I wanted to. Bad case of writers block with this particular scene.**


	72. Hugo's dilemma

**Chapter 72 - Hugo's dilemma**

"What's wrong Hugo?" Rose asked and dropped onto the grass next to her brother. It was damp, icy cold and absolutely the wrong weather to spend outside, so Rose was more than worried when a small little Ravenclaw had pulled at her sweater to intercept her on her way to Gryffindor Tower, on a Friday evening no less.

The girl had waited hidden behind a wall and Rose was sure, that if she hadn't held onto her jumper, she would have overlooked her. It had taken her some time to understand the mumbled explanation, and when she asked the small brown haired girl to repeat herself, the poor thing had blushed deeply. When Rose had finally nodded in understanding, the girl had run off without giving Rose a chance to thank her or ask for her name.

"Nothing!" Hugo said and tightened the jacket around himself to keep warm.

Rose sighed and cast a warming spell over herself and her brother, because she hadn't taken the time to get a jacket.

"You didn't eat anything and sit around in the melting snow at the end of February in Scotland. Everything must be peachy!"

Hugo didn't comment his sisters sarcasm and continued to stare down at the frozen surface of the Black Lake.

"You'll feel better once you told me." Rose tried to sway him into talking to her, but her brother shook his head.

"No, because you can't help me. It's a decision I need to make on my own. I would appreciate it if you would leave me to ponder the reasons for and against it alone. You already came to a conclusion and therefor are biased."

"Hugo, is this about Mum?" The inquiry was made with care and Rose spotted a book without a title on it's spine in his arms, when she leaned forward to look at his face, which he had hidden behind his angled legs.

"Yes. So please let me think this over in peace. It's the reason I came out here, to think without interruptions."

Rose leaned back on her hands and stretched her legs on the ground. She looked up at the darkening sky and searched for the first stars twinkling down at them, thinking about what her brother had said.

Had she really made a decision about her mother? It didn't feel like she had found a conclusion for the situation. They had quarrelled and Rose felt hurt by her mothers reaction, so she avoided her and ignored her attempts to talk. The worst thing was, that Rose knew it was her own stubbornness that stood in her way.

Her Dad had told her where her beloved hair product had come from, when she tried to thank him for it at Platform 9 ¾. It had made Rose even angrier, because her mother should have given them to her herself. The present had had no note attached anywhere.

The words her new mother, as Rose called her in her head, had told her buzzed around her head.

 _'I was told my daughter was brilliant, so use your head'_

Rose didn't feel brilliant, she felt conflicted and ill advised by her head. She loved her mother and while the other words had been harsh, they had been true. Rose liked to be idolised by others and Scorpius' romantic interest in her, while not reciprocated, but had made her feel good.

To date Ian was a strategic move, as much as it was joining the Quidditch team. She liked him, and he was a fine boy for sure, but she had started dating him for his look and his position as the Captain.

Was that the mature way to show Scorpius she wasn't interested? Surely not, but she hadn't felt like acting mature since her mother had told her to do so in that cold, uncaring voice.

"I guess you got a point Hugo, but she'll always be our Mom. Doesn't change what she said, or that I'm totally mad at her. I just can't look at her. She was so cold and I just – " Rose stopped when she noticed she had started to shout. When she continued she tried to keep her voice down. "I miss her Hugo. I miss her so much. She left us without a second thought."

Hugo looked up at his sisters avowal and closed in the last few centimetres between the to hug her. She closed her arms around her smaller brother and they spend the next few minutes seeking comfort in each other.

When Hugo leaned back and sat down next to Rose again, he showed her the book he held in his arms all long.

"She forgot my birthday. There was always a book I would read the night of my birthday in my stack of presents, but this year I found nothing. I knew she forgot us, but it hurt."

Rose leaned her head against his shoulder and they looked at the book in his lap.

"Dad found out and I think he told her, because she gave me a book for History of Magic. You remember how much Mom always ranted about the way wizards treated other magical creatures? The book was about wars between creatures and wizards and she even added notes into it."

He looked down at the plain blue book again and smiled.

"And she gave me this book. Whatever I write in there shows up in her copy of the book. She promised me I could always reach out to her. Either of us could. She asked for time to get to know us, and she apologised for her behaviour."

Hugo looked up into the sky and let his back rest against the cold stony ground. Rose watched him and her heart hurt for her brother. He was always their mothers favourite, just like Rose knew she was their Dads. It had been the reason she had told him to stay away from their mother. He was as intelligent, as he was sensitive. He knew stuff he shouldn't and got hurt so easily.

Rose knew he had a hard time at Hogwarts, didn't befriend anyone of his house, and liked to keep to himself and to family. It made her crossed out with their mother even more. How dare she, to make Hugo worry how to behave around her and add to his problems. Hugo struggled enough without the new situation, and Rose was sure their mothers presence and the rumours now that she had resigned made it even harder for him.

But her brother had to decide for himself, no matter how much Rose wished she could just keep him far away from their mother, until she remembered them.

What would happen if she never remembered? Rose suppressed the thought, but it lingered. Her brother needed his Mom. He needed the support she had always provided as much as her calm guidance. But the woman she had been replaced with wasn't calm, collected or ambitious in the way they were used to.

Rose caught herself comparing this new version of her mother with her old one. Both had rather bad traits combined with something that stood out.

Her mother liked to handle things her way. She could instruct you in a way nobody else could, with small details and step by step. Sadly she rarely found time for it, always taking care of her work, the whole wizarding world and all the other small and big problems out there. Sometimes it felt like her family was just an afterthought and you had to ask her way in advantage to be included into her planning.

Now she suddenly had time and Rose saw her many times in the library or in the corridors. She always smiled sadly and tried to talk to her, but Rose wasn't ready for that yet.

She didn't even know the most basic things about their family and Rose knew there was bad blood between her father and her mother just by seeing them in the same room once. She was logical to a point that it felt cold and uncaring and her temper was not as calm as Rose had known her growing up. If Rose didn't know better she would say her mother was frightened by the students in their school.

It just didn't add up. Was this all really the product of living a different life for the last twenty years? She knew she could wrack her brain until she froze to the ground out here, but she would need to ask to gain answers.

Not yet, Rose decided. It wasn't worth the heartache. Her mother would remember and then they would be a family. This was just temporary.

"Let's go inside Hugo. You have all the time you want to decided. She woun't run away, and even if she does, you got the book to reach her wherever she is."

Maybe the end came across sarcastically, but Rose didn't care. She was cold, tired and felt insecure because of her own thoughts.

Her mother would remember them, right?!

* * *

 **AN: For personal reasons this, again, is unbetaed. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts :)**


	73. Curses without reversal

**Chapter 73 – Curses without reversal**

Hermione sat in the library and looked around, remembering all the hours she had spend here the last four months. Was it already that long?

She researched time travel, grieving and lately she even looked around for books on how to be a better mother.

That topic had been sparsely stocked, it was a school library after all, but even then she had found some books for pureblood daughters and what to expect, when your expecting. These had brought up the question if these girls were only been send to school to finish their NEWTs married and pregnant.

Going deeper into the topic Hermione had gained the knowledge that most marriages were still arranged and many purebloods wed upon their 17th birthday until the second wizarding war.

Some hadn't even taken their NEWTs to finish their education.

It made Hermione glad that times had changed and nearly no records could be found of such practices now. Still, it was something she kept looking in for more informations, as if to make sure that these things were really over, but deep down she knew she used it to avoid the informations she had sought out in the beginning. To think that her own son might had have been betrothed right after his birth, if he hadn't been hidden, made her ill. Or even worse if he was betrothed in this world. Either way, it didn't help her with being a parent for her kids, the way they needed her, whatever that meant.

The book she took everywhere with her remained blank, except for the small dedication she had written herself. Her biological son had nothing to say to her, much like her daughters. One looking at her with hate while she was awake, the other with betrayal when she was asleep, neither muttering a word. It made her heart clench when she saw the looks they gave her, and her lips were chewed open, because she worried. It was irrational, nothing could happen to Aquila, simply because she was never born, and it hurt because she missed her small sassy girl. Sometimes she could hear her daughter in her head, scolding her for her behaviour. It happened less and less, and made her hurt even more.

She knew somewhere along the way she had lost something important. She had been waiting for it to come back alive, waiting for the storm to hit her, but all she felt was sorrow over the injustice that she couldn't enjoy this nearly perfect world. Enjoy it for all the lifes that were lost to make it possible, including her daughters'.

Surrounded by all these books, her friends she had always relayed on to help her find answers, she sat utterly alone in the library of Hogwarts, at the age of 42 way to old to stay in a school, and felt helpless. At least she rarely got anxious here and that helper her to keep the panic attacks at bay.

Hermione signed and got up to gather some books on Defence against the Dark Arts. She could at least burry herself in preparations for her Master, if nothing else. The library was nearly empty on Friday evening and curfew was still an hour or two away, so she had time until she had to leave.

She hated to spend her time with nothing to do, as it made her thoughts wander.

XxX

When Delphi came out of her little toys mind, she slapped him against the wall, the small body of a bird he was trapped in making a sloshing sound, when he hit the wall, and fell down unmoving.

"Maybe.." She mussed and leaned back in her seat, as if nothing happened. "I think I can make use of their fallout."

Her wand was back in her hand and she whirled it around, while she thought about it. When she got no answer, she looked over at her companion, and rolled her eyes.

"Useless tool." With a flick of her wand she reanimated him from his blissful unaware unconsciousness. He made an awful sound, but Delphi simply floated him over, when he didn't come right away, and ignored his injuries. Setting the body down near her feet she ranted:

"It doesn't matter if you're human or animal, you prove to be quiet useless. Broken by a small outburst of rage."

The black bird at her feet blinked and tried to stand up, but didn't quiet manage. It caught and droplets of blood sprayed the floor near Delphi's feet. She crouched her nose and scourgifyed them away, whereas she ignored Crow's fight to stay conscious.

While she calculated her next steps to make sure Albus Potter wouldn't fail, she looked out the window. Her original plan already went down the hill, so she would have to adapt. It looked like the boys were not reliable, to caught up in their own problems to help her solve hers. Not even threats had the desired effect. They knew to much, just like Crow did.

She looked down on him and smiled, never a good sign.

"Kill the boys and bring the time turner back to me. Once it's in my hands, and the conditions are met, you can consider your life debt to be fulfilled."

The black crow tried to make a sound, but only a plaintive sound left his beak.

"Yes, I guess I need to heal your wings for that, don't I? Episkey."

The bird cried out and a cracking sound was heard.

"Oh, I guess I'm still rubbish at healing spells. Off you go."

While Delphi watched him take off through the window a thought crossed her mind.

Should she have told him, that to fail meant to be dead, or to be free, was to stay a bird for the rest of his pitiful life? She never looked up the counter spell to the curse she had put on him, and neither would she. Why waste time, if she had to kill him in the end anyway.

* * *

 **AN: I like the way Rowling lets us into Voldis plotting in some books, so I like to do the same with Delphi, even if it's really dark. You still read unbetaed stuff here, so bear with me.**


	74. Not worth?

**Chapter 74 – Not worth?**

"Hey Malfoy!" Snickering could be heard in the Slytherin Common room, and Scorpius tried to ignore his House Mates. For once he sat in the Common Room alone, because he was still mad at Albus. They were best friends, but sometimes Albus took it to far with his jokes. Summed up with their disagreement on the way they should handle Delphi, Scorpius had wanted to spend some time alone. Hindsight, this might not have been the best spot, but he knew Albus wouldn't search for him here on a Friday.

"That rumours about your parentage? I think they are rubbish." Some of the Slytherins raised their eyebrows and looked at Robin Bole in disbelieve. He was a 6th year Prefect and well respected among the younger Slytherins, because he was a pureblood and known for his cunning plots. Always well informed, he nine times out of ten knew what was going on in Hogwarts and beyond.

There were some hushed conversations, but Scorpius knew better than to speak up. This wasn't an act of mercy to stop the talking about him. And he was proven right when Robin continued his speech.

"Your father was a willing, but stupid Death Eater. He crawled around the Dark Lord and tried to get into his good graces after your grandfather couldn't even finish a simple task in the Ministry. To stupid to grab an item of a shelf."

Scorpius continued to focus on his studies, but his hands clenched around his feather. He hated how they talked about his father, and even thought he didn't care to much for his grandfather, he was family.

"Your father was the Dark Lords bitch, but do you know why I don't believe the Dark Lord fathered you?"

The feather broke and Scorpius took a deep breath. He tried to stay calm, while he glared at the older boy.

"Stop talking about my father like that!" Scorpius tried to sound strong but he knew, when his voice broke at the end, it made him sound like a whining kid.

"Oww I hit a nerve, didn't I. We all know your father was pardoned after the war, but fellow House Members, did you know why?"

Robin added a break for the sole benefit of effect, before he carried on with a nasty laugh.

"Because his father betrayed the Dark Lord and threw his wand away when he was confronted with Potter on the battlefield. And it wasn't the first time. His father lied, when he they brought Potter to their home. Told them it wasn't Potter and his Mudblood friend. They are not worth of the proud House of Slytherin, and –"

Scorpius was out of his seat and had his wand drawn faster than the other students could react.

The frank and bubbly young boy they all loved to taunt was gone, and in his shoes stood a seething wizard that had already hexed his bully.

"Don't you dare talk about them like that!" He shouted at the frozen members of his house. Robin's mouth was sewed shut and when he tried to talk again nothing came out.

"Make fun of me all you want, but keep your mouth shut about my family. And I dare you to use the word mudblood again. I'm sure Miss Granger would love to hear about it."

Several wands were drawn and suddenly Scorpius remembered that he was alone while they were all pointed towards him. He could feel fear tickle it's way down his back.

"Traitor." One of the older girls he didn't know by name shouted. He never spend time remembering their names, they all would just make fun of him anyway.

"Just like your Dad, aren't you?" The girl next to her muttered. After a short motion with her wand he could feel a sting hex hit him. Scorpius tried to get up the strongest shield up he could, but it hurt and he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself. A voice from the portrait hole saved him.

"What is going on here! No wands in the Common Room!" Takagi's voice was cold and harsh and all students complied with her request instantly.

"He started it!" Smith said from the fire place and pointed at Scorpius. Others joined in and dejected Scorpius' shoulders slouched over. This would end badly, even without being hexed.

"Did you start this by drawing your wand?" Takagi asked him when he turned towards her.

"Yes, but..." She resolute interrupted him by cutting him off with a wave of her hand.

"I don't care why. We don't hex members of our house, especially not out in the open. What did you think would happen if you attack a Prefect? Now follow me to Professor Dunkel's office. He'll take care of you."

In the eerie and gloomy Dungeon office Professor Dunkel looked up from his grading and frowned when Takagi entered with Malfoy trailing behind. Normally the duties of the Head of House fell to one of the members within the staff that had spend his own school time in said house. This had changed for Slytherin in 2016, when Professor Slughorn finally retired and left the staff of Hogwarts without a single Slytherin in their midst.

Professor Dunkel was from Germany and went to the Russian School Durmstrang for his magical education. He had never visited Hogwarts until he had taken up his post here. In Headmistress McGonagall eyes that deemed him to be the best suited member to take over after Slughorn and he had be honoured by her trust. But that was years ago, and these days he wished for better behaved students, less responsibilities and an evening in peace and quiet. Maybe even an office that wasn't in the Dungeons, with a big window that showed the sun and not the green filtered light that shone in from the lake.

"What?" He barked at the students and sat back in his chair, already annoyed by the intrusion.

Takagi knew his moods, she was a Prefect long enough, and explained the situation to him in few words. When she finished the young Malfoy chipped in.

"I didn't hex him because I felt like it! He insulted my family, calling my father..."

"I don't care who started it and for what reason. You are old enough to know the consequences should you be caught. Live with them. That means, you are the one who hexed a member of his own House, while knowing better."

Professor Dunkel shook his head in disbelieve.

"I don't care for childish rumours or some badly chosen words, there are rules in this school." The Professor leaned forward and glared at his student.

"Should I ever hear, that you have hexed another student outside of classes, you woun't get off lightly again, did I make myself clear?"

Scorpius hung his head again and all the fight left him.

"Yes, Sir."

"Report to me here tomorrow after breakfast for your detention. We'll see each other for the next two weeks, including Sundays. Dismissed!"

* * *

 **AN: Albus once said:** "You know, I sometimes think we sort too soon!"

 **On the other hand, Slytherins are said to be loyal to their own, and Scorpius always is, no matter how conflicted he feels about the person. I also like how he made his fathers phrase "My father will hear about this" his own. I didn't even notice until I reread what I wrote. It had me laughing so hard.**


	75. Hatstall

**Chapter 75 - Hatstall**

Draco looked at the letter from Professor Dunkel one last time, and then set it down on top of his work documents, to look out of his window. For a moment he let himself be calmed by the view of several clouds passing by at a leisure pace.

He thought he had taught his son the first rule of Slytherin: Don't get caught.

A lesson he had learned the hard way, that first year at Hogwarts, when he went to Professor McGonagall to out Potters little nightly trip. Just remembering the night in the Forbidden Forest made him shudder. To think that his son hadn't introverted the most basic rule puzzled him.

The Professor hadn't made it apparent what had happened prior to his sons rather stupid stunt. The sad thing was, Draco knew that his son was cunning enough to realise his revenges sneakily and get away with them. Someone had riled him up enough, for his temper to overwhelmed him, and make him act without thinking.

Truly, not a very Slytherin move, but then again, Scorpius had been a hatstall after all. His son never told him why, simply got defensive when he probed for the reason why. Sometimes he wondered if their family's legacy boxed Scorpius in. That the Potter boy wasn't involved for once sat ill Draco too, normally Albus held Scorpius back from such rash decisions.

His gut told him, that something bad had happened, but didn't know what, and neither he wasn't in a position to help. His family still got shunned for their participation in the second Wizarding War, the name Malfoy far from being cleaned, and his words held no weight. He had to figure out what was going on, and what girl Albus Potter was involved with. He needed Potters leverage to protect his son, so he had to fulfil his part of the deal.

Just thinking about Potter made him clench his hand. The man who could do no wrong in the public eye, while he couldn't right a wrong his own son was affected by. Sometimes Draco felt sorry for Albus, during the moments he hated Potter the most, while at other times he envied the boy who lived. Not for his prestige or fame, simply for the fact that one small sentence at the right time could mend problems, wherein Draco had to work hard, just to end up where he started, at an impasse.

The depiction of opinions as truths, without undergirding facts, was how the war started in the first place. The Dark Lord had winded them up to hate Muggleborns and Muggles as lesser, while he was a Half-blood himself, and Draco's parents had played right into his hands by raising him to believe in the biased values they had. He tried to keep their influence on Scorpius as minor as he could concerning this matter, and he knew Astoria had agreed with him.

Now a new generation grew up, but the problems only shifted from one group to another. Albus and Scorpius should not have to deal with the hurt feelings of their fathers over their school time rivalries. Potter would just have to shake his head once at the absurdity of the statement that Scorpius could be the Dark Lords son, and openly dismiss it, to kill most of the rumours, but he never answered any questions surrounding his son befriending the heir of Voldemort, therefor fuelling the rumours further.

He wished Granger hadn't placed herself in such a predicament with the press, else he could have used her standing to help his family. As it was, she was an enigma he wanted to figure out for himself, and he had a pressing matter to talk about with her, which he would use to get a deeper insight into her intellectual world.

* * *

 _AN: Some of you may have noticed that all my Chapters since New Year are unbetaed and at odd times. My lovely beta Eva wanted to be back from a family holiday the week after Epiphany. I haven't heard from her and I'm absolutly worried._ _She kept me in line because we had a schedule. I want to apologise for the irregular posting and hope the two of us will be back soon with Sunday posts, but for now I miss her input on certain parts of my story dearly and just write as it comes to me. Which means there are some points I need to reread because I don't write chronological and I fear I lost the golden thread because I split it up to many times. Something is niggling me at the back of my head, and I can't figure out just what it is. To think that I got a notebook full of facts to prevent that from happening, but obviously missed some entries..._


	76. Please

**Chapter 76 - Please**

When Harry had reached out to Hermione on Thursday via letter, to ask about the situation at school, she had been happy he trusted her enough again to ask for her opinion, but was also a bit wary. Albus Potter wasn't the child to complain to his father, he solved his own problems, and Hermione the setup was to strange for Hermione to let it slide.

So this time it was Hermione's turn to send a small note to Draco, asking him to meet up in a small muggle cafe, just outside of central London, as she came to the conclusion that it had something to do with him and their last conversation.

He had send a letter back the next day, confirming the day, but pushing the time a bit back. Hermione didn't care to much, as she still spend most of her time researching in the Hogwarts library and had no obligations, which was something that drove her crazy, she wasn't used to free time, undisturbed on top of it. It were these moments, when it was the hardest, because she had nothing to focus and her thoughts started to wander. Her sessions with Madame Pomfrey continued and helped, but Hermione feared she would never be free of her haunting memories. At least now she rarely cried and was able to centre herself in the present with the help of her small pendant. She hadn't allowed herself to open it lately, but just feeling it around her neck was enough.

On the day of their agreed meeting she sat in the cafe early, able the get a hold on one of the tables in the back. Like this she was close to the second staff exit, but her back was against the wall without windows, so she could keep an eye on everything around her and it wasn't possible to sneak up on her.

Draco entered the cafe in a similar muggle suit like the one he had worn to the restaurant last time, just a bit more casual styled. The first button on his shirt stood open again, and this time the suit was light grey, which made his eyes stand out.

"Granger!" He greeted her with a nod and sat down opposite of her, beckoning the waiter before he even got ride of his coat. While he draped his coat over the chair a waitress came over and smiled at them.

"A cup of coffee, black. Make it big." Draco drawled and raised his eyebrow at the woman, when she didn't start moving as soon as he was done.

"That's it." He added, as if she was stupid, and smirked when she blushed and finally ran towards the kitchen.

"You know a please hurts no one?" Hermione asked him while she shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes she forgot how arrogant he had been, still was.

"They are here to serve me and they get paid for it. It would be just another word I need to add, which means I need to wait longer."

"Merlin, you are an ass. It's common courtesy. " Hermione grumbled, but Draco saw that she wasn't really upset by the roll of her eyes and the way she placed the serviette down on her lap, never meeting his eyes. Had she been really upset she would have glared at him, her hair cracking and her brown eyes ablaze.

"I'm practical Granger, and I would never behave like a commoner. If I do, I suddenly get all this women lionise me because of my looks and my money. Been there, done that."

Draco leaned back against his chair, his gaze focused on Hermione and a smirk playing around the corners of his mouth, because he knew he had taken the wind out of her sails.

"So basically you behave like an asshole, because you think you are to good for them? Because you still believe muggles are beyond you?" Hermione asked with a straight face. Now she was looking at him, but it was more calculating, than angry.

"I don't care if she's a muggle or a witch. They all want something from me. Just like you Granger. The difference is, I am still not sure if I want to give you what you want."

"Oh, so you know what I want?" Hermione asked him, laughing dryly. "That's interesting, because most of the time I can't even figure it out myself."

"Well in this case I do. Potter talked to you, didn't he?" They stared at each other while Hermione nodded and bit her lip in worry.

"Yes Harry did. So it was really you behind it."

"He was always as subtly as a Bludger. I knew he would ask you about it, after I mentioned your name." Draco chuckled because he knew his plan had worked. While he might not be able to use Granger for better publicity, he wasn't above using the hold she had on Potter. That the men had reached out to Granger proofed, that at least their relationship was still intact, which was valuable to know.

"You manipulated him, didn't you?"

Hermione got no verbal answer, just a raised eyebrow from Draco who leaned back and observed their surroundings. When the waitress came back he took the cup from her and ignored the shy smile she send his way.

"At least they are fast." He muttered and took a sip from the brew, just to grimace and set it back down.

"Not up to your standard Malfoy?" Hermione joked and stirred her tea that was already cooling, she had been here earlier than him after all.

"To hot." Draco drawled and watched Hermione take a sip of her own. She still looked older than she should, but either her glamours were really strong, or she slept more than before. She was on the alert, her eyes following the movements of everyone behind him, but she sat still, not fidgeting with her amulet anymore, like she had last time.


	77. No Slytherin, but close

**Chapter 77 – No Slytherin, but close**

Draco took another sip from him cup and continued watching Granger, waiting for her to ask her questions. The calculating look in her eyes was still there, all he needed was a little patience. While he might not have all day, it was amusing to watch her overthink what she wanted to say.

There was frown on her face, and one of her fingers tapped against the cup in her hands. He could see that she had grabbed onto it much more tightly than him, her hands tense, while the rest of her body looked to be relaxed. She was good at this, but no Slytherin.

He knew his son was important to her and she saw something, someone, in him that was worth her affection, not matter what she said last time. Somehow she was able to overlook his behaviour, that until recently had made her seethe at the side of her husband, now ex as far as the papers were informed. Draco was sure, if it hadn't been for the men that had spend the last fourteen years fighting for her, she wouldn't sit here today.

His resentment was roaring its head, but he fought it down before the bitterness took hold of him. He hated the feeling his father had implanted when he was just a boy. Never good enough, always fighting to be someone to impress, to meet with the approval of his father.

"I was under the impression, that you didn't care for my help with this particular problem."

Hermione stopped his train of thoughts and made him smile inwardly, while he remained emotionless on the outside. Not a question after all, which made it so much easier avoiding answering.

"I didn't ask for it now, did I?"

Hermione chuckled when he shrugged nonchalantly and took another sip from his cooling coffee, that was finally at a drinkable temperature.

"Not directly, but you brought Harry to my door, which happens to do just that: Involving me."

"All I wanted was Potters attention on the matter, which he wouldn't give me for the last few years, until I suddenly brought you up last time. Of course it is your nephew who's also involved in this matter, so I can't keep you out of it, if that's what you want." Draco said with a wave of his hand, as if it was old news of no interest. He had let her see to much last time already, when she brought up the topic, he didn't need his bitterness to show through this time. No matter what happened between her and the Weasley, her relationship with Potter was still rather close. There was no benefit in letting her see that their old dislike for each other was still very much alive at a much bigger scale than she might have picked up until now.

"You seem to assume a lot of stuff that I want, Draco." Hermione threw his words from their last meeting back at him, but smiled sweetly, maybe a bit to much so. The clicking noise her finger made against the cup continued, nonetheless.

"So tell me, Hermione, what do you spend your time with these days?" His quirked eyebrow was the only answer she got in regard of her accusation. Hermione leaned back and surveyed him over her cup. It was nearly empty and when she noticed, she beckoned the waitress to ask for a second, with a smile and kindness. Afterwards she turned back to Draco and he knew she had been extra polite, just to rub it into his face, but his kept his face schooled into an impassive mask, not giving his amusement away.

"I try to keep an eye out on the kids and spend my time researching for my Master in Defence against the Dark Arts."

Draco frowned for a moment at Hermione's answer, before he answered.

"That's an... interesting choice for sure."

Laughter escaped Hermione, when she saw his sharp features make a slip from their indifference he like to show the world. The next question was an amused drawl, that was nothing like the way Granger normally talked. For some reason it made Draco's heart skip a beat, because she sounded just the way he had always taught a Malfoy was supposed to talk.

"And why, dare say, is that?"

He gulped and took another sip from his cup, cursing himself inwardly when he noticed it had been the last one. Gladly it gave him enough time to catch himself and burry the unwelcome feeling of attraction she brought up. She was Granger, Potter's best friend and Gryffindor to the core. With her intelligence she had never been easy to manipulate, but suddenly she turned the conversation on him like it was kids play. It was as much daunting as it was enticing, a combination that had Draco ruffled, and he wasn't sure if it was in an irksome way like he wanted make himself believe.

"After seeing your work, I would have thought your interest lies in Ancient Runes." Draco didn't have to take the kerchief from it's pocket inside his suit coat, they both knew he was talking about her Christmas present, and he didn't need her to know that he still kept it close at all times.

"What do I want to do with Runes? While I value the history written in them, I can't sit back and do nothing but writing for the rest of my life. The last twenty years taught that to me." Hermione shook her head, maybe remembering the small space she had inhabited for so long, but Draco only got the impression whatever she remember, she wanted it out of her head.

"A shame you think like that. I could have use for a Master of Ancient Runes. My last date left me with a nice Business idea resolving around them, and a lack of knowledge about certain Runes that could be used for protection and enchantments. Of course Quidditch is as much out of your league as Runes, isn't it?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes on Draco, knowing fully well that he tried to manipulate her, but she was intrigued.

"I have a meeting soon, so I will take my leave. We will meet here again next week, same time. Think about it Granger." Draco declared and got up to put his coat back on. He left a few coins on the table, enough to pay for both of them and didn't look back as he left.

He knew she would be angry with him, but he felt like he won this small battle and couldn't keep himself from grinning smugly. She would meet with him again, if not because of his offer, then for sure because he hadn't given her the chance to bring up the problems the children faced at school.


	78. Dad's little flower

**Chapter 78 - Dad's little flower**

"I'm sorry Lily!" Scorpius burst out and hung his head. He looked at the stony floor of the Entrance Hall and scratched his neck.

Lily could feel herself blushing crimson in embarrassment. Many of the students around them threw them curious looks and she felt rather shy all of a sudden.

It had taken a lot of courage to walk up to him smiling and hoping for the best this morning. She had a hard time eating anything at all at breakfast, because she had been so nervous.

I was a fool, Lily scold herself, and tried to keep the smile on her face. All she wanted to do now, was run up to her dorm and cry into her pillow, until she felt like this lump in her throat would vanish again. She knew she wouldn't do it, because she would rather eat the whole box of Bertie Botts Beans than give the Slytherins behind Scorpius the satisfaction of seeing her getting hurt by this. Gathering all her courage she clenched her hand around the strap of her bag and blinked twice before she answered.

"No problem. It's my bad. I gave you no chance to give me – "

She was cut of by Scorpius mortified look, when he finally lifted his head and looked at her. He wore his Slytherin uniform and hadn't even brought a jacket or a scarf with him. Had she taken a moment to observe him she would have noticed he wasn't dressed for a trip to Hogsmeade at all.

"No!" He tried to dismay her train of thoughts. He must have noticed he came off to strong, because he blushed and took a step back.

"I'm the only one to blame here. I thought about this a lot."

"Thank you?" Lily wasn't sure how to answer to that. All she wanted to do was turn around and forget this ever happened. Why did she think her first crush would end better than her mothers again? Ginny had told them so many times that it took her years to win their dad over.

"I understand." Yes, that was a mature answer Lily thought to herself.

It made Scorpius smile at her as he added "I'm really sorry."

He raised his bag from the ground and took a step towards the dungeons.

"I'll hurry now or I'm late for detention. I promise next time I'll pay the butterbeer for sure!"

He took of in a sprint and left behind a speechless Lily, who didn't understand a thing. Hadn't he just rejected her? Why did he offer to invite her next time then, and what detention?

Her head was still swimming when her brother joined her.

"Common sis, I'll keep your company for today." He took her arm and lead her out towards the carriages when she didn't react right away.

"In case my idiotic mate didn't make himself clear: He fucked up and has detention, so he has to postpone the little date you invited him to. It's sad really, it was the first time I saw him grow a backbone and he had to get caught by a Prefect. He doesn't want to hear it, but I think he would have made a wonderful Puff. Anyway, I'm glad he ended up in Slytherin with me, else my life would be just plain boring. Bad for you sis. So, instead I'll take his place so you can tell me all about this fantasies you want to live out with him. You know, I got to protect his virtue, he's a virgin in anything romantic after all."

Lily glared at her brother and yanked her arm from his grip to enter the carriage. She hadn't needed the reminder that her crush had only ever had eyes for their cousin.

"That was uncalled for Alb. And what do you want to protect him from, hell I'm not even thirteen yet. It's just a crush I decided to act upon."

"Yes little sis, and we all know you've got the dirtiest mind. So tell your big brother: Did you dream of holding his hand by accident, or steeling a kiss. Mhh, maybe even touching his hair?"

The way Lily blushed made it rather obvious that she might have thought about all of that and Albus laughed to himself while he riled his sister up.

"Just tell me little Lilypuu."

Instead of an answer she hit him, looked out of the carriage they shared, and ignored Albus snickering.

"Such a violent little flower, what would Dad say!"


End file.
